Summary: | Beginning in 1978, the People's Republic of China embarked on new economic
reforms that aimed to modernize the country. It wanted to convey that in sharp contrast to
the radical, turbulent, ultra leftist days of the Cultural Revolution, the post-Mao period has
been experiencing higher consumption levels, greater material progress, and modern living.
An area that has been strongly influenced by this message about China's shift in policy and
direction is clothing. As a case study, two state-run fashion magazines produced in China
between the years 1980 to 1986 have been analyzed. This paper argues that the magazines
Xiandai Fuzhuang and Shizhuang tutored people about sartorial fashion in a way that
communicated the government's goal of distancing the prereform years from the post-Mao
era. An underlying theme is the idea of China acting as a "pedagogical state" that provides
proper guidance to its people in an effort to construct a more modern Chinese society.
There are three main sections in this paper. The first part argues for a close
relationship between fashion and the Chinese state. It considers the changes in consumption
experienced by China before and after the reforms. It also discusses how aesthetics were '
perceived to shape an individual's moral refinement, and in turn, the improvement of
society. Notably, these messages directly influenced the discourse of the state-run fashion
magazines. The second section compares the contrasting attitudes toward clothing during
and after the Cultural Revolution. Significant differences in perceptions of the body and
gender were conveyed by the magazines' advice about dress. Through the perspectives of
globalization theories, the third section explores the extent to which the magazines
recommended their readers to adopt foreign clothing. Rather than demanding their readers
to wear designated dress, such as Mao suits as in the previous era, they provided a range of
advice: from embracing Western styles, maintaining pride in native Chinese clothing,
developing a hybrid Sino-Western style. === Arts, Faculty of === History, Department of === Graduate
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