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GENDER & FASHION
Editor's Note
"Some people will say fashion
is newness, elegance, adventure...Another opinion is that fashion is a chance
to be different and self-assertive. But for many others, fashion is pure
manipulation, and a possibility to make alot of money...Fashion does not refer
to external only; it is also about beliefs and ways of living."
Kyrgyzstan
Almaz Kalet
"The Osh town of Kyrgyzstan is
located in the South. Clothing in Osh town reflects the social status of men
and women so exactly, as nowhere else in the country.
All newly-married traditionally wear
bright clothes that are considered 'luxury' at some point....All young married
women should use plenty of make-up - That is the tradition. If you do not
follow these fashion tendencies, you are likely to have problems with your
friends and relatives, as your clothes and dress style are a sort of a public
marriage certificate. However, all this changes after the first baby!"
Azerbaijan
Ilaha Adilkyzy
"I met my husband-to-be at my
colleague's wedding. I was wearing an evening dress. He seemed to like my
clothing. After several months, he asked me if I would become his wife.
I had to meet his family, but I felt
that he did not want us to meet. Finally, he said that his family, and his
mother especially, will not accept me as their daughter-in-law. The only reason
is that I work and frequently go on business trips, and wear short skirts and
pants. But, I did not plan to change my life style.
We had a beautiful wedding with my
relatives, our common friends. His parents never came to this event. But, I was
still happy.
Six months passed after the wedding,
but his parents had never called him. His brother was already engaged, and his
wedding was approaching. My husband was invited, but not me. It was known that
their future daughter-in-law wears hijab, just like his mother.
When I was on a business trip, my
mother-in-law came to visit our house. I thought this was a step to improve our
relations, but not. My husband changed alot. He is now very different twoards
me. I feel our marriage will not last for long...."
Estonia
Marina Maksimova
"I understand that a woman, who
has a vivid identity, doesn't have to follow generally accepted fashion. She
can consider it and use it, but she never becomes the hostage of fashion."
Azerbaijan
Vafa Saleh
"I met a girl in a village who
was beaten up by her brother. The reason was her decision to remove unnecessary
hair from her eyebrows. Girls there do not have a right to touch their eyebrows
before the wedding."
Estonia
Ruta Pels
"Men once also tortured
themselves with high heels. I had a chance to realize this at the Bata Shoe
Museum in Toronto. The Museum includes an interesting collection of shoes
popular in the XVII-XIX Centuries. There were some elegant high heel men's shoe
samples, as the European aristocrats liked to wear silk stockings, lace, and
shoes with high thick heels. Even shoes of some historical Eastern men had high
heels as in Persia. It seemed to me that these high heels of men were for showing
off in ladies' company.
It is pity that modern fashion and
fashion magazines encourage us to walk on 'stilts'."
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