From yellow-face performance in the 19th century to Jackie Chan in the 21st, Chinese Looks examines articles of clothing and modes of adornment as a window on how American views of China have changed in the past 150 years. Sean Metzger provides a cultural history of three iconic objects in theatrical and cinematic performance: the queue, or man's hair braid; the woman's suit known as the qipao; and the Mao suit. Each object emerges at a pivotal moment in US-China relations, indexing shifts in the balance of power between the two nations. Metzger shows how aesthetics, gender, politics, economics, and race are interwoven and argues that close examination of particular forms of dress can help us think anew about gender and modernity.
- ISBN10 0253015685
- ISBN13 9780253015686
- Publish Date 25 April 2014
- Publish Status Active
- Out of Print 10 April 2021
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Indiana University Press
- Format eBook
- Pages 308
- Language English