Fashion and Gender in China

Catalog description

This course on fashion and gender examines a series of moments in Chinese history when fashion codes marked social transitions and shaped gender identity. Among the topics for discussion are foot-binding and femininity, qipao and the modern woman, the Mao suit and the invisible body, beauty and sexuality, Oriental chic and the re-Oriental spectacle. With visual materials as primary sources, and informed by fashion theory, the course offers students an opportunity to develop visual literacy and enhance analytical skills. In addition, a fashion show at the end of the semester will invite students to consider how clothing and visual display enable narratives of self-definition. 002243