regarding non chinese ppl wearing qipao/hanfu, and cultural appropriation ™ in general (although I can’t speak much on it bc I only really know about my own roots haha) I think it tends to be more complicated than ‘yes you can wear it go crazy : )’ and ‘no you absolutely can’t ever touch it : (’. So i will ramble into the void <33
The very basic things to consider are
1) the original purpose of the garment and the culture behind it, do some research!! This includes not wearing religiously/culturally significant clothing, and more careful consideration over styles of clothing that have been presented in a fetishized way (qipao im talking about qipao dsjlghf which CAN be very intentionally sexy ™ in terms of silhouettes, which is fine bc that’s just the clothing, but like… there are limits), and making sure you are wearing it correctly, etc. Also, don’t sdjlkhgjdfl don’t try and make yourself look asian LOL that post with ppl using the cat eye trend and trying to look asian bc kpop popular ig is funny but also like please don’t
2) When you’re wearing it. Don’t wear historical clothing for halloween please unless you’re cosplaying a specific character or person. An entire culture isn’t a costume. Don’t wear it to dress up unless you’re dressing up as a specific person or character. Also, please be aware of what character you’re dressing us. Wei Wuxian or smthn - OK. fu manchu - Way less okay.
3) Where you’re wearing it!! When you’re in the country, assuming you have research down and are wearing it properly, most local people will be flattered you’re taking interest in the culture. This is more complicated for diaspora communities - and I think that’s where a big divide comes in. Generally, it’s a very case by case basis outside of China - invited by a Chinese person to wear one? Go ahead. Wanna wear a tasteful qipao to a formal event? A tiny bit shaky depending on who you ask, but most people don’t mind. Hanfu/hanyuansu (hanfu styled modern) clothing? Also a little shaky depending on who you ask, I personally don’t mind but many people do, and the people who are uncomfortable shouldn’t be ignored. I think hanyuansu clothing is totally fine because it’s very much an aesthetic thing, but hanfu itself is a little more complicated. I PERSONALLY FEEL that in the current year of 2021 with everything going on in the US and Canada re: views on and actions towards e asians (and many SEA these POS literally can’t tell us apart) in these places, it’s a little shakier : ) Feels a little bad to see people dressed like us while we get yelled at on the streets haha
4) On appropriation. Most people in china, in my experience, would be happy when people take enough interest in the style to wear it! But diaspora voices saying they’re uncomfortable aren’t less valid - in many ways they matter *more* to this specific topic because they’re closer in terms of experience. For Chinese people in mainland, if they are Han (which is where. hanfu came from) they are the majority and not discriminated against for their clothing and ethnicity, whereas diaspora are more intimately aware of uh how it feels to be a minority, in many places a marginalized minority, which affects the way they interact with cultural appropriation - they’re also likely more familiar with it and will be the ones ‘suffering the outcomes’ ig of cultural appropriation. Not everyone is the same, some diaspora might not care! And some diaspora might find it offensive, especially if they’ve faced mockery or racism over their clothing or food. That’s like, not something that’s okay to invalidate or w/e lol if you’re in a situation with a Chinese person who feels uncomfortable with you wearing hanfu/qipao, you probably shouldn’t :/. Like… on a personal level I Do Not Care as long as it’s respectful but yk in general it’s like… don’t argue about this pls
5) Final notes. It’s good to do a little research! Hanfu can be a complicated topic because like… the revival movement is not only relatively recent, it’s also a result of a broader cultural revival movement promoting stuff like traditional dance (a mix of martial arts and ballet i think?) and art and music, my parents always comment that they didn’t have any of this growing up, they barely knew this much culture ™ existed. Culture and identity has always been a big topic, and the current issues I’d argue had their roots sown when macartney sailed over to china in the late 1700s and totally failed to make any progress re: trade with the emperor, and then the issues really started to show during the fall of the qing dynasty and the later eras including republic and communist which existed in a post imperial world where western = modern, and china = backwards. but. history rambles aside. Research ✨
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