In the 1980s, people in China could get in trouble for their fashion choices. Flared pants and jeans were considered “strange outfits.” Some government buildings prohibited access to men with long hair and women wearing makeup and jewelry. Patrollers cut bell-bottoms and long hair with scissors.
It was the early days of China’s era of opening up. The Communist Party was loosening its tight grip on society and the public was testing the limits of self-expression.
Now the government is proposing amendments to a law that could result in fines of up to $680 and up to 15 days in prison for “wearing clothing or carrying symbols in public that are harmful to the spirit of the Chinese people and hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.” . What could be considered a crime was not specified.
The plan has been widely criticized, and jurists, journalists and businessmen have expressed concerns. If it comes into force, they argue, it could give authorities the power to punish anything they don’t like. (Comments accepted until September 30).
Under Xi Jinping, China’s leader, the government has had a fixation on control: how people think, what they say online and, now, what they wear. China has built a surveillance state, censoring the media and social networks, and even banning the display of tattoos. Beijing is now moving closer to the private sphere. Personal decisions, such as what to wear, are increasingly subject to police or public scrutiny.
In July, a man on a bus scolded a woman on the way to a cosplay exhibit — where people dress up as movie and video game characters — for wearing a costume that could be considered Japanese-style. Last month, a security guard at a shopping center refused entry to a man dressed as a samurai. Last year, Suzhou city police detained a woman for wearing a kimono.
These episodes were related to anti-Japanese sentiment instigated by the Chinese government. But the confrontations go further.
In August, security guards in Beijing prevented people dressed in rainbow-themed clothing from entering a concert by Taiwanese singer Zhang Huimei. That same month, people filed complaints about a concert by Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai because her fans were wearing rainbow lights and some male fans were wearing “outlandish” women’s clothing.
The law could place China among the most socially conservative countries.
A lawyer named Guo Hui wrote on Weibo: “Do you think you can still make fun of Iran and Afghanistan?”
By: LI YUAN
THE NEW YORK TIMES
BBC-NEWS-SRC: http://www.nytsyn.com/subscribed/stories/6899951, IMPORTING DATE: 2023-09-20 21:20:08
#days #prison #fines #China #people #wear #strange #clothes