By: Olivia Robinson

Olivia Robinson — Sat, 20 Feb 2021 16:38:45 +0000

Sean and Sophia, this article is a great illustration of that tension between the traditional and the contemporary that often shows up in fashion. I think each place and group of people have their own particular stories that are very different from one another. This idea of modernization vs. tradition makes me think of the Cultural Revolution in China in the 1950s. My understanding is the revolution included a rejection of many traditional kinds of knowledge, practices, rituals, garments, etc. I think your point about tradition being connected to nationalism and identity is very observant, Sean. I can think of a recent dangerous examples of this: the U.S. in the last 5 years has seen a huge rise in very explicit white nationalism and violence, all under the name of traditional values. I think your article brings up topics that extremely interesting and very relevant to U.S. and global contemporary politics.

By: sophiah@andrew.cmu.edu

sophiah@andrew.cmu.edu — Wed, 10 Feb 2021 04:44:10 +0000

I find this article very interesting. The paper I chose had a similar idea, examine the changes from hanfu to qipao. I believe it is a good thing that we are finding ways to reconcile the past and the present, as it is important to keep these cultural traditions while still keeping in line with modern fashion and trends. I am worried about how long this coexistence can last because while there are people who accept these traditions, there will be people who think that the past garments are not modern enough. Over time, there may no longer be people who believe in embracing the past or the coexistence of the past with the present. Another worry I have is that a lot of these ancient techniques and traditions are passed on and made easier to produce year after year, but are no longer the same as the ones of the past. The modernization here may be in terms of the production and when the production method changes, the essence of what keeps this ancient tradition alive is lost.

Comments on: Cultural Garment_Sean Meng

By: Olivia Robinson

By: sophiah@andrew.cmu.edu