671Kviews
I’m A Foreigner Living In China And Their Fashion Never Ceases To Amuse Me
671Kviews
Having lived in China for quite a while, I’ve seen a lot of unusual things. In fact, many Chinese and foreigners get so used to weird occurrences and weird Chinese fashion that people just generally ignore them.
On my Instagram page, I try to provide cultural context for why things in China happen the way they do, by explaining some of the history, the culture, or the language, and how these things influence behaviors or even a fashion sense.
The page is not all about street fashion though. It's anything that you can ask the question of ‘Why?’ or ‘How did that happen?’ to, with the general classic answer being ‘No why’ #nowhy (Chinese response) OR ‘because China’ #becausechina (foreigner in China response).
The general explanation for some of the fashion trends and choices below is that:
- Any English = educated, different and fashionable. (it could possibly be a famous brand, but if no one’s English is that great… then just by having it… no matter what it is, it’s already good)
- Anything ‘profound’ is considered good. If you as an observer don’t find it profound…that’s your fault. The wearer is making a statement, and that’s what’s important.
- The wearer doesn’t have to understand, because others most likely don’t understand…so who cares. Even vulgar, rude statements can be worn by kids… because no one knows any different.
- If the actual piece of clothing is functional and comfortable, who cares what’s written on it.
- A haircut should set you apart from everyone else. Many people have very similar or standardized hairstyles (Chinese people are aware of that too) If a haircut creates conversation then that’s awesome.
Here are a few examples I've caught in my street photography shots…quite a few of them, actually.
More info: Instagram
This post may include affiliate links.
Bear Attack And She Survived, Good For Her
Got Life Figured Out
This is like tattooing a Chinese symbol not knowing what it really says. you just wear it proudly
A Bit Of Nationalism Coming Out There...
Shark Soup
How Old Are You? And Just How Drunk Are You?
A Bit Morbid, But I Wonder If I Can Get It In Yellow... Would It Be Less So?
Need To Stop Feeding The Cat Vegetarian Food
I Do Feel Happy Now
I Needed That Today
That's... Taking Things To Extreme
Does she realise she's been robbed? Someone literally 'picked her pocket'!
Some Sweet China Style... So Fashion
And He Knows It
Good Advice, Rarely Taken
If I Ask Where You're Going, Will You Be Confused?
Does It?
Oh Good, Noing... That's What I Needed In My Life
Sometimes I want to be like "don't these people ever check what the stuff on their clothes might mean??" but I know there are an equal amount of western people who wear stuff with Chinese characters or even get tattooed without knowing what it means, or thinking they know what it means but not actually speaking the language.
Yes- today there was a "news" article that said Ariana Grande tattooed a Japanese word for a "small tabletop bbq grill" instead of the title of her new album. Why anyone would tattoo in a different language/alphabet without triple checking is beyond me. maybe I'm too practical
I heard! ITS HILARIOUS!!!!!!!!
Like Westerners checking what their Chinese tattoos say? LOL
Yep. My wife often laughs about this, when she sees people here in Europe wearing stuff with Japanese on it. It's mostly nonsensical (a bit like the Superdry brand's motto) and sometimes plain funny, with random words put together.
People use Chinese characters/Japanese characters as tattoos or shirts to look "cool" thinking that maybe Asians would love them but there are people in Asia who call these people "perverted" and "ignorant" even "retards" (not my words by the way. I personally don't give a f**k. Just some friends who does.). Yeah. People in Asia and some other non-English-speaking countries also do the same with English words. They think it makes them look "hot" but they don't really know shit. "People aren't laughing with you. People are LAUGHING AT YOU fool!" is what people really think on the inside when I see such folks.
Anything American is considered trendy, the English language is associated with America only by many Chinese. I had a small boy repeating the F word over and over until the whole class was doing it in tune. On asking the Chinese headmistress to help me stop it she replied in Chinese, "But Americans say it all the time so it has to be a good thing". She was very red faced when told what it meant and avoided me for ages after.
I am very curious to know makes these t-shirts, etc. Is there some wanker somewhere laughing while he prints blowjob t-shirts and thinks how funny it will be to have non-english speakers whereing it?
The people making the t-shirts are the people wearing them. These are all made in China like all of our own clothes are.