How Does Political Movements Influence Fashion

How do political movements influence fashion proposal annotated bibliography
Name
Jiayi Xie
Introduction
Under different political regimes there can be conformity in authoritarian administrations or support for individual expression in democratic societies, which can influence fashion choices. Political movements may be identified by certain fashion and clothes that represent their identity, and in the American society, fashion styles have changed with the times and reflect social changes and even attitudes. Political and social movements also disrupt traditional held views in democratic societies, and especially, when there is quest for equality, and people are more willing to embrace new trends and politically inspired fashion. The topic of how political movement such as the Cultural Revolution in China and Black Panther in the US influence fashion was selected after reviewing the history of fashion and increased focus of political statements in fashion and the arts.
The Chinese Cultural Revolution and Fashion
The Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) was dedicated to ending the old ideologies, culture and customs in China under a socialist/communist system. The Great Cultural Revolution under Chairman Mao Zedong was aimed at ending the bourgeoisie influence, old ideologies, culture and customs. The Cultural Revolution suppressed those who did not conform and the communist bureaucratic system ensured that those who did not follow the ideology were purged from the party. This partly influenced fashion where on one part there was uniformity in choice of fashion based on what were appropriate communist uniforms, but there was no official uniform for the masses and the Red Guard. As such, what became associated with the Cultural Revolution Uniforms was partly linked to the uniforms being aligned with the identity of revolutionary soldiers. If people were not appropriately dressed, they most likely would have been singled out and targeted in an environment was conformity was prioritized.
During the Cultural Revolution the Zhongsha/ Sun Yat-sen suit (Mao-suit jackets) and Mao badges were mostly similar but there were differences that could help identify gender. These suits and badges reflect loyalty to the party, and reflect conformity given that those who deviated from what was expected were punished. Despite there being individuality there were expectations that there would be uniformity, but even those who wore the traditional dresses could at times be considered counter-revolutionary if they were known political figures. One’s appearance could be used to indicate whether one supported the communist ideology and the Chinese revolution.
While fashion is still associated with extravagance, Chinese leaders are now more likely to wear western style clothes than during the Cultural Revolution era. Politics changes just like fashion, but adults were expected to wear the drab military like uniforms and the Red Guards could stop people because they did not wear acceptable fashion if it was considered ‘bourgeoisie’ style. During the Cultural Revolution, especially, in the west that there were perceptions that Mao-era clothing was homogenous. Even if the effectiveness of dress resistance was limited ...