Curatorial Name idea：

“Threads of Change: The Evolution of Chinese Women’s Fashion and Status”/

“Worn Stories: Fashion and the Shifting Status of Chinese Women”

Reasons for choosing this theme:

1. Clothing as a mirror image of women’s social status

The form, function, and aesthetic evolution of Chinese women’s clothing directly reflect changes in social power structures, gender roles, and economic patterns. For example, the custom of wide robes with big sleeves and foot-binding in feudal society symbolised the discipline and subordination of women’s bodies, while the popularity of the improved cheongsam in modern times reflects women’s participation in social production and emancipation[1]. And the rise of the cheongsam is not only a symbol of gender equality, but also reflects how women have fought for a voice in the nation-state narrative, for example, by challenging traditional gender boundaries by imitating the design of the male robe[2].

However, it is important to carefully consider whether these shifts fully equate to female emancipation or autonomy, and while it signals a shift towards modernisation and greater female participation in the public sphere, it is important to question whether this shift is truly liberating or whether it reflects the imposition of a new form of femininity associated with a capitalist, westernised view of progress. While it reflects and then reinforces the social ideals of beauty and femininity of the time, these ideals are still closely linked to traditional gender expectations, and in challenging gender norms, women are often forced to adopt new standards of beauty or performance rather than gaining true autonomy.

2. The relationship between clothing and female identity

Clothing has a close relationship with cultural identity and identity in modern society[3]. The evolution of Chinese women’s dress is not only an external aesthetic change, but also a process of identity construction. From traditional constraints to modern emancipation, the evolution of women’s clothing reflects the evolution of Chinese society’s perception of women’s roles.However, it is crucial to question whether these changes are truly empowering for women or whether they are influenced by the pressures and expectations of a patriarchal society, even during the modernisation or revolutionary phase. For example, the shift from traditional to more ‘liberated’ Western clothing may have provided more physical freedom, but it did not necessarily equate to intellectual liberation or autonomy of movement. The notion of the ‘new woman’ that emerged in the early 20th century often reflected a Western understanding of progress that ignored the complexities and nuances of Chinese women’s lives. While clothing became a tool for self-expression, it was also an instrument of social control, and women were constantly torn between competing ideals of tradition and modernity, self-determination and conformity.

It is important to explore how the evolving aesthetics of women’s clothing have shaped their identities within the confines of social expectations. For example, while the modern cheongsam is intended to display the female body in a way that symbolises independence and modernity, it also reinforces the commodification of the female body. Clothing thus became not only an expression of identity but also a socialisation tool, an idealised femininity that subordinated women to new standards of beauty and virtue.

3. Interdisciplinary research value

This theme involves a number of disciplines such as the history of dress, women’s history, sociology, aesthetics, etc., and can appeal to audiences from different backgrounds. From the variation of materials, cuts and colours, to the moral concepts and gender norms that dress carries, it can provide a rich research perspective.

4. Possibilities for visual and immersive exhibitions

Clothing is an intuitive and sensual cultural carrier that can be presented through physical exhibits, images, and multimedia interactions. For example:

By restoring women’s costumes from Han, Tang, Song, Ming, Qing, Republic of China, and modern times, the audience can visualise the changes.

Combine historical documents, women’s oral history, and fashion photography to build a more complete narrative system.

Designing interactive exhibition areas to allow visitors to experience the feeling of wearing certain specific costumes, such as the size of foot-wrapped shoes in the Qing Dynasty, or the Western-style dresses of new women in the early 20th century.

However, one has to be careful in order to avoid reducing complex gender dynamics to visual aesthetics. Recovering garments from different historical periods is certainly useful in illustrating the evolution of women’s roles, but depictions of garments need to be integrated with the deeper political, social, and cultural narratives that these garments represent. It is crucial that the exhibition not only shows the garments as products of history, but also critically engages with the stories behind these garments, including the often silenced voices of the women who wore them.

5. Raising public awareness of women’s issues

Women’s rights and gender equality remain important issues globally[4]. Through the entry point of clothing, the audience can be guided to pay attention to the historical evolution of women’s status in a gentler and more accessible way, thus stimulating further discussion on gender equality.

[1] Haoyang Guan, “The Transformation of Female’s Social Status from the Evolution of Female’s Clothing,” Communications in Humanities Research (Print) 9, no. 1 (October 31, 2023): 260–64, https://doi.org/10.54254/2753-7064/9/20231196.

[2] Antonia Finnane, Changing Clothes in China (Hurst Publishers, 2023).

[3] Elizabeth Wilson, Adorned in Dreams: Fashion and Modernity (London ; New York: I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd, 1985).

[4] Simone De Beauvoir, The Second Sex (New York: Vintage Books, 1989).

Bibliography

De Beauvoir, Simone. The Second Sex. New York: Vintage Books, 1989.

Finnane, Antonia. Changing Clothes in China. Hurst Publishers, 2023.

Guan, Haoyang. “The Transformation of Female’s Social Status from the Evolution of Female’s Clothing.” Communications in Humanities Research (Print) 9, no. 1 (October 31, 2023): 260–64. https://doi.org/10.54254/2753-7064/9/20231196.

Wilson, Elizabeth. Adorned in Dreams: Fashion and Modernity. London ; New York: I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd, 1985.

Curatorial Theme: Changes in Women’s Status as Reflected by Changes in Chinese Women’s Clothing from Ancient to Modern Times / Hua Ding / Curating (2024-2025)[SEM2] by is licensed under a