#chinese historical makeup

[chinesehanfu]

[Hanfu · 漢服]Chinese Tang Dynasty(618–907AD)Traditional Clothing Hanfu Based On Dunhuang Mural

Challenge restore the seven ladies in the Tang Dynasty murals

【Historical Artifacts Reference 】:

China Tang Dynasty Dunhuang Mural：

《都督夫人太原王氏礼佛图/Governor Wife Mrs.Wang and her daughters and servants in Cave 130 of Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang》

_________________

Recreation Work：@嵛清

🧚🏻Model∶@嵛清

🔗Xiaohongshu：https://www.xiaohongshu.com/explore/64705b840000000013030c28

_________________

[kingsandbastardz]

So for basically my whole life I'd grown up with and was resigned to accept that the chinese concept of formal/nice clothing of my and the previous generation has been western clothes. So at any awards ceremonies or performances, entertainers would show up mostly in western suits/dresses and maaaaaybe you'll spot the occasional cheongsam if they're going for a Wong Fei Hong vibe. Which, you know, kinda sucks if you have any concept of western cultural imperialism in asia.

So when the hanfu revivalist movement started, I was waiting to see when it would enter the mainstream -- my hope was for fashion designers to integrate traditional/dynastic elements into their work and make it common place enough that I can buy this shit online for ME. Because I WANT.

Though some of the designs can be a bit hit or miss, I am LOVING what various stars and entertainers are wearing out and about now.

Anyway - here's a collection of Xiao Shunyao's modern hanfu inspired/hybridized stage outfits from the last couple years. For his MLC performances, his stylists seem to be borrowing inspiration from his Di Feisheng and possibly other character costume silhouettes.

I'd been seeing a few comments about how his outfits play with gender - and some of his outfits do! But I think the interesting thing to discuss is from which standard is he playing with gender? Because from a western perspective, the things he does with his western suit tops, belting on top of the jacket for a tightly cinched waist, and the addition of a trailing skirt = femme. But if you're talking from a hanfu-hybridized pov, that's just a modern take on hanfu and having any of those elements is not inherently femme and would often read masc to me.

So these things aren't necessarily gendered because they exist traditionally in chinese men's clothing or costume designs (ie video games, comics, historical fiction illustrations and film, etc, so therefore in the modern lexicon of masculine/acceptable for men):

presence or lack of a skirt

silky, velvety, gauzy or sparkly material choice, esp in formal or stage clothing

short or long length of skirt

embroidery

flowers/floral/bird designs

folding fans

certain styles of makeup

beading, gold, tassels, jewels

non-chunky jewelry

headbands

widely flowing silhouettes

What XSY's stylists are doing with some western clothing items are interesting. I'm convinced there have been one or two western jacket tops made of thinner material that they're folding over the front, and belting down instead of buttoning (which then matches with his other outfits that are designed specifically to do this). Then they're adding a skirt, cloak or bracer element to it.

The western portions often bring a military minimalist feel which they balance with a more gauzy material in the skirt or cloak portions.

Things I think are playing with gender:

row 1 - image 1: red di feisheng-inspired outfit

The lace-up girdle is there to match the bracers in both material and style. And it's positioned to be similar to the heavy belt that Di Feisheng wears. HOWEVER. That style of girdle/corset-like clothing item can't be divorced from the modern idea of sexy leather corsets. So imo, this waist piece on that outfit was a choice. Especially when paired with his allergic-to-collars-higher-than-his-sternum necklines. And if you take into context how masculine yet female coded his character is in the drama, the whole look evokes that.

row 2, image 1: black western suit with belt on top, hat, cloak, black boots and not-visible but also a black tassel fringe skirt

Hat and cloak moves the intention of the outfit from western toward a more Asian slant, because alone, it looks like a western black suit with western heeled boots, cinched waist with a lady's belt (seated photoshoot) and western style tassel skirt. The suit top consists of a vest and a shrug-like sleeve portion that appears masculine at first glance. But take the shrug and pair it with the tassel skirt (I can't find the red carpet photos but here is a better view of the skirt when seated), and I think you got a look that's both intentionally edging toward the femme in a western sense but also confusing matters by hiding within the parameters of both western and chinese traditional male styling.

row 2 - image 2 : white asymetrical western jacket styled in a front fold-over style, gauze skirt, trailing pearl embellishments

The more traditional leaning version of this is the white outfit in row 3 that he wears to the Hi6 Hello Saturday variety show -- the skirt portion on that outfit is one I'd consider non-gendered. Row 1, images 2 and 3 are examples of masculine/neutral uses of gauze that plays with flow of form but isn't inherently femme. This stage outfit is very western-appearing masculine suiting, until you hit the skirt which is giving me long ballerina tie-on skirt with the additional swan/mermaid pearl strings. Imo, another example of deliberately using traditional masculine styling but switching it up with the combination of material choice and make that is feminine.

row 2, image 3: black space military boots, black suiting, black -silver ombre sequin trailing skirt and white gauzy shawl with black floral design

The over all design is going for a masculine military-feel. (think this outfit for shen langhun) But instead of a thicker military cloak, it's replaced with a woman's gauze shawl and a skirt that trails behind him very much like the back of a woman's formal fish-tail gown when he moves around. If you take into context Wang Herun's outfit is a white-silver sequined dress cut in a way to also give a space-military-queen vibe, imo they both coordinated their outfits to balance out with both femme and masc qualities.

Thoughts? I'm curious what others think about this.

While I wait for the CNY photoshoot for XSY's red and black look, here's him with his stage collaborators with a nice range of skirt lengths, period influences and material choices. The woman in the center is the one with the most military-fighter design out of the bunch. The dudes are all in variations of formal-wear-with-good-kicking-boots (and lots of crotch space).

[neechees]

Some historical clothing enthusiasts who AREN'T White because I'm sick of seeing White girls in 19th century clothes:

SewRena: specializes in 1950s American sewing & clothing, she is Black

Cosplay Queen: Chinese youtuber who does stuff like makeup, Hanfu of various time periods, Chinese classical dance, & cosplay. Also does a lot of Mukbang vids

MochiHanfu: another Chinese youtuber who specializes in Hanfu

NamiSparrow: Indian cosplayer who has some vids up about historic Indian fashion & sewing

Notyourmommashistory: Black reenactor who does vids on 1800s fashion, slavery in the 1800s, racism, vintage clothing, & also some cool video essays.

Cheon-Shik Yang: he is a Korean tailor who talks about Hanbok & traditional Korean clothing

Fashion & Culture with Kingsley: focuses a bit more on contemporary African clothing & fashions & geared towards fashion designers, but inspired by traditional African designs (from different countries and cultures, such as Ghana, Ethiopia, & Senegal) and clothing & a bit of historic ones as well.

The Couture Courtesan: mixed race Asian reenactor and historical fashion enthusiast who talks about fashions of various time periods, as early as the Tudor era up to the 1910s.

Eccentrik: Jamaican youtuber with vids focusing on fashion, & in particular either vintage fashion (I believe 1940s-60s), pinup fashion & hair & makeup, or vintage inspired sewing

Ora Lin: a nonbinary tailor (who I believe is Asian), they make videos about sewing & historical fashion of different periods & places, including Regency England, Jin & Ming dynasty China, the Edwardian era, & more.

Honorable mention: Snappydragon not a person of color, but she is Jewish & focuses on European historical fashion & Jewish historical fashion (including time periods the Jewish population would not be considered "White")

[fuckyeahchinesefashion]

Chinese hanfu of moon goddess chang'e嫦娥 who lives in guanghangong广寒宫/ guanghan palace (meaning the cold and spacious palace) on the moon. The styling and makeup are often inspired by the chang'e from the costume drama journey to the west (1986 version) and referenced classic chinese paintings. Chang'e flying to the moon is a household story in china. That's why China named its lunar probe series chang'e.

In addtition to chang'e, the looks of yutu玉兔/jade rabbit and guihuajing桂花精/sweet osmanthus spirit are also popular choices for chinese hanfu on mid-autumn festival. Jade rabbit is the pet of chang'e who makes 长生不老药chang sheng bu lao yao/elixir by grinding and smashing herbs every day, and if one takes the elixir, one'll live forever and become immortal (that's the story of yu tu dao yao玉兔捣药/jade rabbit grinding herbs). And guihuajing/sweet osmanthus spirit involves another story about the moon, wu gang fa gui吴刚伐桂/wu gang chopping osmanthus tree.

Wu Gang is a man who wants to learn the secret of immortality but doesn't want to put in the effort. His laziness angers the Jade Emperor, who punishes him by sending him to the moon palace to cut down the osmanthus tree every day, and he can go back to the earthly world when he's finished. It turns out that every time he cuts down the tree, the osmanthus tree automatically recovers its original shape, so wu gang's work will never be finished. According to the story, he cuts down the tree to this day, as a neighbor of chang'e. So his desire to live immortal was realized in an outrageous way lmao (the wisdom of jade emperor). However the chinese myths never says how wu gang and chang'e were related or how they get along, if they ever chatted or anything like that. We only know they are neighbors.

It's funny that no one has ever dressed up as wu gang on the zhongqiu/Mid-Autumn Festival, probably because he doesn't have a specific image or people think he is nobody and don't care about him, and I think it would be especially fun if someone dressed up as a wu gang standing next to chang'e holding an axe as her bodyguard.

In short, yutu and guihuajing are often represented with elements of bunny, osmanthus flowers, and mooncakes respectively, and the colors are usually sunrise orange or bright yellow, many with a distinct xianxia仙侠 style. There are also some historical styles as well.

[babyspacebatclone]

Love the inclusion of the hair styling process, including the epic hair rat (yes that’s a real term for hair padding! traditionally women could make one from their own shed/brushed out hair).

Hair and makeup for a Tang dynasty hanfu look

[ziseviolet]

Hi! I have a question. Im not entirely sure if these belong to chinese fashion because I only ever saw them in uncredited pictures. Theyre very intricate "eye patches", seemingly made from like gold or metal? they cover only one eye and I was wondering if they have a name or if its something made up? thank you for all your work!

Hi, thanks for the question, and sorry for taking ages to reply! (x)

The intricate gold/metal "eye patches" covering only one eye that you see are most likely based on "半面妆/Ban Mian Zhuang" ("Half Face Makeup"), a popular Chinese novel written by 萧十一狼/Xiao Shi Yi Lang and published in 2015. Well-known Chinese gufeng-style illustrator 古戈力/Gu Ge Li provided beautiful artwork for the novel, as seen below (1, 2):

Gu Ge Li's artwork inspired many hanfu photoshoots with ornate eyemasks (1, 2, 3, 4, 5):

These eyemasks are essentially made-up fantasy masks with Chinese elements incorporated into the design. They are not based on historical Chinese masks, which look very different. Thus you can just call them 面具/mianju, which is the general Chinese term for masks.

On a related note, similar types of fantasy masks also appear frequently in Chinese guzhuang (period costume) films & dramas, especially in the wuxia and xianxia genres. As @audreydoeskaren touched on in this post, these masks are typically not historically accurate, but are included for aesthetic effect (like many other elements in guzhuang media).

Below - fantasy masks in Chinese film/dramas. Clockwise from top left: women - Painted Skin: The Resurrection, Legend of Nine Tails Fox, The Empress of China, The Blue Whisper; men - Love and Redemption, Xuan-Yuan Sword: Scar of Sky, The Untamed, Battle Through the Heavens:

Deriving inspiration from art and television, fantasy masks have become a popular accessory for hanfu photoshoots.

For more examples of Chinese masks (both historical & fantasy), please see my masks and eyemask tags.

Hope this helps! ^^

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - There's so much airing even I'm struggling to keep up

That's why I'm late.

Aug 2023 Wk 3

Ongoing Series - Thai

Laws of Attraction (Sat iQIYI) 6 of 8 - Oh no. I am totally in love with the escaped young master & his smitten bodyguard. How did that happen? (Be careful P’Thee the broken ones are the most tempting. Tin understands.) NO SINGING! Trust Thai BL to destroy any moment of sentiment I might have by picking up a damn guitar. And we finally get Charn’s Batman villain origin story. Good use of back hug! This is a GREAT show. Melodramatic as fuck, but GREAT. Gotta say this pair in NOT Thailand’s best kissers but not everyone can be Zee++. Still I think that + singing + a touch of overacting is likely to keep this out of the 10/10 club.

Dangerous Romance (Fri YT) ep 1 of 12 - Rich /poor dynamic with characters & set up exactly as expected. Chimon is great. Perth is good too. A real rich-kid bully, Heirs level or Japanese F4 evil. All the teachers are also corrupt (that’s kinda a Thai thing, I think because they can't call out the government). I gotta say, Marc is doing a bang-up job as the jock friend, too. And the kiss twist was fun. All in all, this is good. And you know me, I love a high school BL.

I Feel You Linger in the Air (Sat YT) ep 1 of 12 - The time travel historical romance many of us have been waiting for. Adaption of y-novel by Violet Rain, from the producers of Lovely Writer. Heartbroken architect is transported to the 1930s. Nonkul (actor playing Jom) keeps reminding me of Cho Han Gyeol from Love Mate. It’s a bit slow to start but interesting when it hits its stride. The pacing feels like a Chinese historical (makes me wonder if this with be 4 or 6 act structure). Nonkul is a wonderful actor. They weren’t sharing the screen for long, but the leads seem good together. I’m in. 

Only Friends (Sat YT) ep 2 of 10 - Well. It’s entertaining, I'll say that for it. Addiction. Manipulation. Queer as folk & all that jazz. (No jazz for you, Thailand. Oh no! I’m giving them ideas.) I would like it to turn out that Mew is actually manipulating everything. This is his revenge con on Top. Mew is, after all, supposed to be "the smart one." Gotta say, this is darn near perfect casting. But honestly? This show could just be about Ray & Sand. Their story (and them in it) is easily the most riveting. Sand better be careful, the wildly broken ones are always the best in bed, because they don’t care ao they have no shame and that's HOT.

Hidden Agenda (Sun GMMTV YouTube) ep 6 of 10 - I like how soft Joke’s version of seme flirting is. It’s mellow, like his voice gets with Zo. I also liked Zo casually chatting to his friends about how he feels about being flirted with. His friends gave good advice & were supportive. Oh no! A boy in a BL went into the rain ALONE. What ON EARTH will happen next? The argument was interesting, because it gave us insight into Zo’s maturity & ability to handle a relationship. I’ve been wondering why anyone would like him, and now I know. Joke & Nita’s backstory is fun. I like the gay boy protecting the straight girl reverse beard action. On a complete aside, I really like Dunk’s makeup in this series. It’s very Kdrama.

Low Frequency (Sat iQIYI) ep 7 of 8 - The house ghosts trying to help are cute. The plot is at least... a plot? I don’t know. Dias Ex Mafia is a new one on me. (COME ON THAT’S A GREAT PUN, PRAISE ME!) I’m ready for this show to be over. 

Be Mine Super Star (Mon Viki) ep 7 of 12 - Honestly, the whole time I’m watching this I’m just thinking I wish JaFirst got better scripts. Speaking of, I don’t object, but these characters sure moved into sex fast. I really don’t quite understand how Daddy & Hot Doc got together so fast either. It feels like their story was meant to be spread out into the other episodes but didn’t get cut in properly, so it ended up all in this one? Or is it just the pacing is particularly bad in this show?

Dinosaur Love (Sun iQIYI) ep 8 of 10 eps - I have no idea what is going on. What are all of Dino’s friends doing? What do they want? what’s their point in the story? I’m even annoyed by Peak, and love him. Sex scene which they tried to make sexy. Operative word being tried. Although, there was some interesting after sex discussion about mechanics. And there was a cute bathtub chat about pet names. But this show is a lotta work for very little pay out. 

Wedding Plan (Wed YT & iQIYI) ep 5 of 7 - I like the sunshine sides? PUNCH LOM 2023! Trash watch here!

Love in Translation (Sat iQIYI) ep 1 of 10 - Pushy older bro is Earn from Love Sick, yay! And he’s the hyung of a side couple, which is "best friend’s older brother" trope! My favorite!!!! Have we seen this in BL before? I don't think so. Anyway, DOUBLE YAY! The main couple… eh. You know I loathe stalker characters. And I viscerally HATE this one. Almost as bad as SCOY, not sure I can take it, actually. The squealing of "Tammy!" is worse on my ear than any off-key guitar strumming. I may have to DNF or fast forward through all his parts… but he’s the lead. What to do? I do like the “Chinese” businessman actor. He very cute. (On an aside, I was just reading about commercial real estate as the loophole for foreign property investors in Thailand. Cool plot point.) I’m getting a Taming of the Shrew vibes from this. Just me? For now it's living at the bottom of the list for sheer unadulterated loathing of Phumjai. Not the actor, he was my favorite and only good thing about Our Days. But this character? NO.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Jun & Jun (Korea Thur Viki) ep 5 of 8 - This is basically the gay Boys Over Flowers of my heart. Or as close as I think we’ll get from BL. I like both of the 2nd leads, even though I suspect Simon of actually being into everyone’s fav hyung. Cute to see the Mr Heart boys back on my screen, oh so briefly. Such a Taiwan trick, reusing a beloved couple like that. Nice gimmie to the fans. Meanwhile, Choi Jun - boy sure knows his angles but his motives? Please don’t let this be another arranged marriage beard situation? I can’t take 2 in the same month. 

Stay By My Side (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 8 of 10 - The boyfriends ep! JC is biggest simp spoiling his baby EVER. Taiwan = the sappiest of saps. “Owning the same key” is such a cute way of putting it. Also I love the "knew all along" twist, made me happy. The angst is silly but that's normal in Taiwanese BL. 

Love Class Season 2 (Korea Fri Viki) eps 3-4 of 10 - Pair 1: Lee Hyun is such a wide-open, bleeding, no-shame romantic. It’s kinda great. Boy has a poet’s soul & NO artifice. J-Min is startlingly good, very nuanced. I know I keep saying that, but I’m v surprised by his skillz. And… add in creepy stalker, goody. Pair 2: The "other student couple" I’m not into, also NO SINGING. Pair 3: The underwear gift was so fucking funny. “I’m going reap the boxers I sewed” is next level script excellence. These two are brilliant at gayest-of-gay flirt-negging, I'm INTO IT. One of my housemates said, in response to my audible cackling, "You seem to be enjoying your shows extra much tonight."  

My Personal Weatherman AKA Taikan Yoho (Japan Sat Gaga) ep 2 of 8 - Oh I love love love them. It’s so old school yaoi and SO JBL. No other country could produce this kind of show. I love this little feminist aspect where the weatherman treats his boy like a 1950s housewife & said boy thinks that makes him an indentured servant. Clocks. But also, the way our weatherman LOOKS at his boy. He is so in love. (It looks like we skip next week for holiday reasons?) 

Sing My Crush (Korea Wed iQIYI) eps 5-6 of 8 - It remains enjoyable. 

Minato's Laundromat Season 2 AKA Minato Shouji Coin Laundry Season 2 (Japan Thu Gaga) ep 6 of 12 - At least we know Minato actually desires Shin, he just won’t do anything about it. Also, Minato chose the perfect person to come out to. That's nice for him. Finally, Shu & Asuka are glorious. Sides are winning these days.

Stay Still��(Hong Kong Tues YouTube) ep 3 of 5 - A proper faen fatal has entered one of our couples. She won too, since she ended up marrying the boy. Still not sure about this show (and it should have convinced me by now). I definitely like the tattoo couple better than the reunion couple. Still, not a lot happened in this episode and this is short series, they don’t have time to waste. It remains intriguing but not... erm... good.

In case you missed it

River Knows Fish Heart is leaving Gaga soon. It's a decent little bully romance Chinese BL (pulp) - yes, you read that right. Actual CBL. Not great, but if you're into the CBL stuff, especially the early stuff, this has some of that tenor only made in 2018 (I have a feeling it was shot in 2017 and skated through). Anygay, just staying. Catch it before it disappears because with CBL once they gone, often, they gone forever.

Friend. Boy Friend a new Thai BL pulp was supposed to start airing on Aug 19th. I can't find it. Neither can MDL.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Everything from Thailand seems to be dropping on Sat & Sun this month. It's a good thing I got quiet weekends for a while. Also the BL firehose is upon us, so much content.

Starting this week:

8/20 (tomorrow) My Universe series (Sun iQIYI) 24 eps - This is sampler pack BL, 12 pairs, each pair gets 2 eps, not sure on the order they’ll drop. Known couples include EarthBank from Destiny Seeker and KaownahTurbo from Love Stage!!!, fresh faces otherwise. Jane to direct.

8/22 Kisseki: Dear to Me formerly known as Miracle (Taiwan Tues Viki & iQIYI) 13 eps - From screenwriter Lin Pei Yu (We Best Love, H3: Trapped) features a student doctor forced to take care of a gangster. I love the premise and like the writer.  

8/23 Why R U? (Korean remake iQIYI) 8 eps - I find everything about this hilarious. I mean if Korea remakes it, we lose all the sexy and then... would we have a story at all? No we would not. Not even for 8 short eps. It’d be like one of those mesh shopping bags.

8/24 Man Suang (Thailand movie, domestic cinema release) - historical drama about Thai burlesque with KP’s MileApo. 

2023 forthcoming BL master post (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED).

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Another show reviewing itself. (Dino Love)

Don't insult bastards, Lom. (Wedding trash)

I would like this adorable romcom GMMTV, please and thank you.

See what I mean? Trixy.

Thanks boys. (All Only Friends)

(Last week) 

[quitealotofsodapop]

The crew listens to Epic: the Musical.

MK's favorite song is Legendary.

Wukong identifies with Just a Man (not that he'll admit it).

Macaque likes Ruthlessness because he's an emo little stinker.

Sandy likes Open Arms (of course).

Tang and Red Son like Warrior of the Mind.

Pigsy really thinks the monkeys should take Luck Runs Out to heart.

Mei likes Keep Your friends close (a fun bop that belies danger underneath, just like her).

I have to be careful binging a new muscial (or in this case Saga) cus I end up playing each song on loop for hours. Opinions might change once the full and finished versions of later sagas are released.

I love all these hcs <3

Im imagining the gang likely sees/listens to Epic on the reccomendation of MK (who's currently on a Greek Mythology hyperfixation), and he gets them all to watch the full play - maybe in the future as a irl performance or film.

"Legendary" is SUCH an MK song. Both him and Telemachus growing up with the stories of someone dear to them and wanting to replicate their success. I could also see him really liking "Warrior of the Mind" with the theme of "some nobody" gaining the favor of a god (reminds you of anyone?) + SWK is infamously the personification of The Mind in Jttw so its a bonus. MK is smiling evily whenever a harsh plot twist occurs and his fam are shocked silent. >:3

Sun Wukong feels targeted personally with how many of the Epic songs remind him of his past. Ofc he starts crying halfway through "Horse and the Infant", and is inconsolable during "Just A Man" - verbally yelling "NO!" at the end. And like Nezha and Sandy is *silent* during Posideon's songs. Is super jazzed during the triumphant Ithaca Saga though! And feels mega catharic during "King" when Odysseus proves that he still rules to the suitors! He tries his best to hide how much the muscial is affecting him.

Macaque is a canon theatre Nerd - so he's already listened to the musical multiple times, but he's uber excited to see the live performance (and secretly bond with his found fam). Is rocking out during "Ruthlessness" and "Done For" in particular, so much so that he's fidgeting and dancing within his seat. He also vibes with "No Longer You" as someone with powers of prophecy. Is really amazed how much Wukong gets into the musical, but in retrospect understands *why*. Him and Wukong accidentally share a glance during "Would You Fall In Love With Me Again" and it gets a little awkward afterwards.

Mei is similarly excited to see anything with her bestie, so she tried her best not hear/see any spoilers ("it's a centuries' old story Mei" "Ssssh!! Dont tell me!"). She was shooketh by how hard the muscial goes. "Keep Your Friends Close" is her fave based on beat alone. She gets delightedly scared and amazed by consistent horse imagery used with Posideon (shameless link to my fave Animatic of "Ruthlessness").

Tang loves himself some historical and mythological adaptations, and is estatic that MK has given him an excuse to go see one! He's not as familar with Hellenic mytholgy as he is with Hindu-Chinese, but he knows enough lore to make the pog-champ face at every foreshadowing/reference. "Warrior of the Mind" really gets to him as a song about valuing your smarts. He also feels really empathetic for Calypso.

Pigsy only went cus Tang begged him. He feels super lost by the deep Greek lore he's missing, but he can get Odysseus's whole thing with trying to get home - but he def identifies more with Eurylochus. "Luck Runs Out" proves this to him. Later on he feels that the second-in-command was justified in having the soldiers rebel against Odysseus after so many losses (who wouldn't after losing all their friends?). Audibly gasps at the end of "Just A Man" - cus who would just do that!? Is a little freaked out by Circe turning the Athenian's into pigs - Eurylochus is depicted as partly-transformed, played by a pig-demon actor who was in super convincing human makeup in the previous sagas. He also gets protective feelings by-proxy seeing Telemachus's situation since the prince reminds him of MK. Is surprised by how much he likes the musical!

Sandy feels betrayed. This isn't like Disney Hercules at all! He does really enjoy Polites message in "Open Arms" and the later moments when the hopeful soldier's outlook is proven correct. He's a little overwhelmed at points though - he get eerily quiet during Posideon's scenes. He sobs joyfully when Odysseus finally makes it home and reunites with his family! :')

Because of this really good animatic/almost child-like depiction of Aelous by gigi; I can def see "Keep Your Friends Close" being Nezha's fave. It reminds Nezha of when he was far more carefree + has a solid lesson on about trust/"forbidden fruit". He also enjoys the more march-like tune of "Survive". He does however, freeze when he listens to Posideon's songs "Ruthlessness" and "Get in the Water" - he has been on the bad end of a sea god before and is quietly shtting himself for Odysseus.

Red Son goes in feeling like he could have stayed at home listening to the musical on his phone while working on a car instead. He is however blown away by the heavy themes and performances, especially "Warrior of the Mind" and Telemachus's situation - a prince forced to grow up fatherless and protecting his mother from suitors due to his dad pissing off a higher power? Hello?? Accidentally shrieks "YES!!!" when Athena becomes Telemachus's mentor/friend after "Little Wolf".

Princess Iron Fan I could see loving any song including Penelope (she empathizes with the Queen's situation hard), but unexpectedly enjoys "Keep Your Friends Close" - she's a fellow Wind Goddess at her core. It also reminds her of her not-so-little-anymore nephew.

DBK on the flip side loves the heavier songs like "Polyphemus" and "Ruthlessness". This man is a Posedion apologist. He does feels bad for Odysseus by the end though - man just wants to get back to his wife and kid dammit!

Bonus: The Spider Gang are watching the bootleg and Spider Queen agrees with Circe's whole girlboss attitude especially "Puppeteer". Scorpion Queen is Calypso in "Not Sorry For Loving You".

This got a little away from me - hope you enjoy!

[chinesehanfu]

[Hanfu · 漢服]Chinese Tang Dynasty(618-907A.D)Woman Officer Hanfu Refer to Tang Dynasty Stone Coffin Line Carving

【Historical Artifacts Reference 】:

China Tang Dynasty Tomb of Wei Shiqiniang's Stone Coffin Line Carving/韦十七娘石椁线刻

Showing Tang Dynasty Woman Officer In WuZetian (690–705)period

武周女官

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📸Recreation Work: @金角大魔王i

👗Hanfu: @山涧服饰 ​​​

🔗Weibo:https://weibo.com/1763668330/NDuAoFtZz

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[jymwahuwu]

Lani, do you know about the red flower mark on women's forehead in ancient Chinese dramas or comics? It's one of the traditional adornments of women in ancient China for quite a long time, and it got famous because of a princess. It's called huadian or Shouyang makeup.

I can see Dan Feng painting the small flower adornment on your forehead aaaaaa <3 It's also historically fitting because the trend was started by a princess in real life, and you're Dan Feng's wife! Maybe it becomes popular within the Vidyadhara court or high-status traditional women of the Luofu? Who knows.

I can also see people romanticizing the origin of said makeup saying that a nobleman used to paint it on his wife's forehead to beautify her even more (when you're actually a victim of kidnapping, but if it's Dan Feng the small flower on your forehead is flawless. No messy lines, smudges, and whatnot).

(Sorry for my late reply >_<)

Oh, I know this, but I haven’t explored the origins of this makeup look.

Dan Feng seems decent and not the kind of husband who puts makeup on his wife, but is this really the case? I think Dan Feng will draw your eyebrows, comb your hair and dress you up, which is a cultural allusion to the love and intimacy of a couple. He is not ashamed of it. He draws little flower marks on your forehead. And you're shaking, hands on the gorgeous material of your dress (because this is a forced marriage and you've been kidnapped). Dan Feng will draw accurately and beautifully, like he always does <3

[earfgoddesss]

Honestly, I do headcanon Zuko to be a crossdresser, beginning in his early 20s. I like the idea of him choosing to present himself in a masculine as another attempt to gain his father's approval during his villain era. Before his redemption, he wanted his father to see him as a strong, ruthless man. In reality, he is selfless and does the right thing when given the choice, which aren't exclusively feminine traits,

After he fully deprograms himself and realizes how terrible his sperm donor was, his natural desire to appear more feminine really intensifies as a subconscious way to dismiss Ozai. Perhaps wearing makeup or a traditionally female hairstyle also helps when he looks in the mirror and sees a face similar to his abuser.

And aside from Ozai, I think that the identity he built for himself during his banishment (callous loner who has had to suffer to get anything he wants) also demanded him to present as this threatening swordsman, someone other soldiers or benders would see and know they have to keep themselves on guard.

I imagine in his twenties is when he realized that when he is picking out clothes to wear, there is a quick reflexive decision he has to make about what would make him look the most threatening vs. what he actually wants to wear, and he finally chooses what he wants. He is more confident in both his identity and his ability to kick ass.

Anyways, on a happier note, I really imagine him like a Chinese o Japanese empress. And then he has the swords on too so don't fuck with him. See under for examples of how I'd imagine he'd dress:

Historically accurate Japanese dress:

I don't know how accurate these are but they're really pretty and closer to how I imagine:

I will draw him this way soon! but I am real busy with zukaang week + AX prep :( sooooon

[journeytothewestresearch]

Hello! I was watching the Beijing Opera's Havoc in Heaven, and while I was admiring the beautiful stage makeup, I noticed that very distinct symbol on the Monkey King's forehead that looks like a swirly sunburst.

I was wondering if that symbol has any particular meaning, or if it's simply an aesthetic symbol that has come to be associated with the Monkey King through his opera makeup? I thought it might be neat to integrate it into my own design for Sun Wukong, but I'd rather not do so with a symbol I don't know the meaning and context of. I figured you'd be the best person to ask!

Chinese opera makeup is a big blind spot in my knowledge, so please take the following info as more of a suggestion than a fact.

A cursory search shows that some online sources refer to the flaming orb as a Fozhu (佛珠, "Buddha Jewel") and Shelizi (舍利子) or Sheli zhu (舍利珠, "Śarīra"). I'm assuming that Fozhu is a variation of the latter two.

These pearl-like beads figure among the bodily relics left over from the historical Buddha’s cremation (fig. 1). Strong (2004) explains:

[They are the result] of a process of metamorphosis brought on not only by the fire of cremation but also by the perfections of the saint (in this case the Buddha) whose body they represent (p. 12).

I also imagine that there is a connection to the Ruyi baozhu (Ch: 如意寶珠, “as-you-will treasure jewel”; Sk: Cintāmaṇi, “wish-fulfilling jewel”). Also known as “Dragon jewels” (longzhu, 龍珠), these luminous orbs are commonly held by Bodhisattvas in Buddhist art (fig. 2), thereby signifying their ability to grant any wish that a believer desires (Buswell & Lopez, 2014, p. 193).

It wouldn't surprise me if Wukong was depicted with a holy, wish-granting treasure due to his great power and association with Buddhism.

Sources:

Buswell, R. E., & Lopez, D. S. (2014). The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Strong, J. S. (2004). Relics of the Buddha. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press

[nepenthean-sleep]

Historical Fashion in The Priory of the Orange Tree

I'm not a historian, but I've spent a significant amount of time over the past decade researching historical fashions from across the world. Naturally, this colored my reading of The Priory of the Orange Tree when I first read it in 2019. I started rereading Priory this month in anticipation for the release of the sequel, and I thought it would be fun to share my ideas for the clothing styles of the various countries in the book, based on real-world historical fashion. I also wanted to use this as a moment to compare some of the fashions of Priory with those in the forthcoming A Day of Fallen Night. These are by no means definitive; they're just my personal headcanons for the book, but I thought some fans and artists would appreciate this as a reference.

To begin, Inys and Queen Sabran's court reminded me heavily of Elizabethan England, so while reading Priory, I mostly thought of the book taking place in an analogue to Earth of the mid-to-late 1500s. This colors my perception of the various clothing styles, so you will notice that most of the countries will have clothing from the same century or thereabout. This extends to Fallen Night, which takes place 500 years earlier, but only for the countries that I was able to find enough reference information on. (Trying to find fashion references for eleventh and twelfth century Europe and Africa on the internet is very difficult!) I've made (terrible; I am not a graphic designer) collages to lower the photo count in this post, but please keep in mind that this post is still image-heavy.

SEIIKI

Seiiki is based off of Edo-era Japan. In keeping with the 1500s theme, I have imagined fashions similar to those of the very early Edo period and the late Azuchi-Momoyama period. With how they are described in the text, I believe the wealthy and fashionable in Ginura would likely dress more like the fashions from the early 1700s with elaborate nihongami and extensive sea-themed accessories.

For A Day of Fallen Night, this would land us squarely in the Heian era, my personal favorite of the Japanese historical eras in terms of fashion. Now I can only imagine Princess Dumai with extremely long hair lmao.

SEPUL

Sepul is based off of Korea. We don't know much about Sepul, but for Korea, the 1500s would have been towards the beginning of the Joseon dynasty. 16th century hanbok looked more similar to the hanbok of Goryeo, as opposed to the more "classical" 18th century style of Joseon hanbok that is used today in film and re-enactments.

For Fallen Night, that puts Sepul in the middle of the Goryeo dynasty, when it followed Song dynasty fashion. However, Sepul is a queendom, and during the Silla period, Korea had three regnant queens. Because of this, I imagine that the queens of Sepul would likely dress more similar to the royalty of Silla, with their elaborate crowns and gold chains.

EMPIRE OF THE TWELVE LAKES

The Lacustrine are based off of China, and the 1500s lands us in the later half of my favorite Chinese dynasty: the Ming. We don't get to see much of the Empire, but what we do see is very lavish and grand, much like Ming dynasty hanfu itself.

500 years back lands us in the Song dynasty. One of the interesting trends of the Song dynasty was pearl makeup, something that would likely be popular in the Twelve Lakes due to the continent's general aquatic theme.

INYS

Inys is based off of England, and while reading I imagined something similar to the fashions of the 1560s and 1570s during Queen Elizabeth I's reign. I'd also imagine that Inys would be "behind" in terms of fashion compared to Mentendon, due to how Inysh society and fashion is described as more conservative.

MENTENDON

Mentendon is based off of the Netherlands, and I particularly imagined it similar to the Dutch Republic, especially in regards to the country's relationship with Seiiki. The Dutch began trading with Japan in the early 1600s, so much of my headcanon for Mentendon is based off of the Baroque era, particularly the 1630s and 1640s. Mentendon seems to be the most liberal nation of the West, so I'd imagine their fashions to be more forward-facing while still retaining a lot of the similarities to the Elizabethan era, such as the usage of lace ruffs, doublets, and kirtles. Aubrecht and Truyde are described as having long, loose, curling hair, which fits perfectly with the popular hairstyles of these decades.

YSCALIN

Spain was the inspiration for Yscalin, and I imagined something similar to the 1540s and 1550s, particularly modeled after renaissance Italy as opposed to the Tudor stylings of the English and French.

LASIA

Lasia is based off of the Kingdom of Kongo, a state that existed in present day Angola, Republic of Congo, and Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1390 until 1857, when it was colonized by Portugal and made a vassal state of the Portuguese Empire. As such, it is difficult to find references for Kongolese fashion without the influence of Portuguese-style clothing. As far as I am aware, the references below are from the 1500s and 1600s and represent Kongolese clothing without European influence.

THE ERSYR

The Ersyr is based off of Iran. We don't get to see much of the Ersyr in Priory, but Chassar would likely wear Ersyri fashions even when away from home. For Iran, the 1500s puts us at the beginning of the Safavid Empire. The reference images below are from the 1570s to the 1650s.

For Fallen Night, the eleventh century would be the Abbasid Caliphate. Below are images of artwork from that era to give a general sense of the styles during that period.

If anyone has any additional information or corrections about the fashions from these time periods in this countries that they would like me to add to this post, feel free to send me an ask or a DM. Thanks for reading! Looking forward to reading A Day of Fallen Night later this week. :)

[saraw-melody]

Princess of china- Coldplay ft. Rihanna

Hello everyone !

Today we’re going to talk about a music video that really shocked me when it came out. It has to do with cultural appropriation which is a notion mentioned and explained in the chapter « identities » of the negus.

The cultural appropriation in Coldplay and Rihanna's "Princess of China" begins with the misleading title, as the song has little to do with China beyond its name. The music video portrays a hybridized, fictional narrative involving a ninja and the Princess of China/geisha character, blending Japanese, Chinese, and Hindu cultural elements. Rihanna is depicted as a geisha (from Japanese culture) and as a Hindu goddess, particularly when shown with multiple arms, symbolizing a Hindu deity. Her styling, with straight black hair, thin eyebrows, and eye makeup, attempts to make her appear Asian, despite neither her nor Coldplay having any connection to these cultures. This misrepresentation extends beyond mere aesthetics and appropriates cultural symbols without accuracy or respect.

The video also reinforces harmful stereotypes, particularly of Asian women. Rihanna embodies the "Dragon Lady" stereotype—a dominant, sexualized, and somewhat villainous figure—through her various costumes as a geisha, Hindu goddess, and ninja. These depictions sexualize her and portray her as aggressive and powerful. This plays into longstanding racial and gendered tropes in media. A relevant critique of cultural appropriation highlights how privileged individuals adopt the dress and symbols of marginalized cultures for fashion, while historically, those same cultures were oppressed or even killed for being “different.”

In addition to cultural appropriation, gender dynamics in the video reflect the "male gaze" theory, as described by Mulvey and Berger. Chris Martin, the white male lead, is positioned as the dominant figure throughout the video. In scenes where Rihanna and Martin face each other, she avoids eye contact, reinforcing the "Lotus Blossom" stereotype of submissive Asian women. By the end of the video, Martin's gaze controls Rihanna, who is portrayed as passive and objectified. Ultimately, the video appropriates multiple cultures, reinforces harmful racial and gender stereotypes, and underscores the persistence of white privilege in media.

All in all, this music video is in my opinion very problematic in terms of cultural appropriation and stereotypes which is why when we discussed the chapter on identities of the negus in class, I immediately thought of this music video!

That’s all for me, thanks for reading and see you next week :)

[sk3tch404]

ℍ𝕚, 𝕀 𝕟𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕕𝕚𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕓𝕖𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕖, 𝕤𝕠 𝕀'𝕞 𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕒 𝕟𝕖𝕣𝕧𝕠𝕦𝕤, 𝕙𝕒𝕙𝕒. ℂ𝕒𝕟 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕕𝕠 𝕒 𝕄𝕠𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕟 ℂ𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕖 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕖𝕣 𝕩 𝕐𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕎𝕦 ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕘? ℂ𝕒𝕦𝕤𝕖 𝕀'𝕞 𝕒𝕝𝕤𝕠 ℂ𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕖 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕨𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕒 𝕤𝕖𝕖 𝕤𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟. 𝔻𝕠𝕟'𝕥 𝕔𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕚𝕗 𝕚𝕥'𝕤 𝕒 𝕕𝕠𝕠𝕕𝕝𝕖 𝕠𝕣 𝕒 𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕠𝕟, 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕔𝕒𝕟 𝕕𝕠 𝕚𝕥 𝕙𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕨𝕒𝕟𝕥 :𝔻 𝕋𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕜 𝕪𝕠𝕦!!!

Yandere Wu Chang with a Chinese reader who is from modern day

Reaction and a little bit of headcanons!

Also tysm for sending an ask in! If my reqs are ever open, feel free to just go for it ^^ Ik how scary it is to send one in. Especially if the creator has other asks they've been working on, and the paranoia of breaking rules. But you're fine!

Also please correct me if i had gotten anything wrong about Chinese culture. I had only retained some information from a historical accuracy review video and somewhat prior information. Please educate me if you can or like to!

"My, isn't that interesting?" Bi'an walks over and sits next to you, placing his umbrella to the side, "Tell me, how has society progressed through the years? You said your original time was 2023 right?"

You nod, slightly flustered from his sudden interest. Bi'an is suddenly dropped over with a black liquid, and then appears Wujiu, "It seems the rumors are true. Do tell us more Y/n."

Both are ECSTATIC

There were rumors floating around that you were from the future when you first entered. Considering that they're in a manor containing all sorts of supernatural occurrences and people, they weren't all that shocked by it.

Not to say they weren't incredibly curious though! Though Wujiu was more excited than Bi'an hehe.

They talk extensively about you and what the future may hold. What kind of inventions have been made? How have clothing trends changed? Is this person still popular or at least known? How would the people of your time feel about this certain social custom?

What was your daily life? Did anybody give you trouble? Why was this "internet" filled with such strange and quite frankly disturbing content? (Oncler simps /j) Is this why your posture was so bad? Douyin makeup and fashion? Wow they look like dolls! But they amount of product they use in order to attain such a look is quite much sometimes haha.

OH MY GOD THE CHINESE FANTASY/HISTORICAL DRAMAS? They're absolutely entranced by it. Bi'an mostly comments on how historically inaccurate they are, and how outrageous the characters are.

Bi'an: Ah no, this is incorrect as well. The main lady should not be in such fine condition after such a dilemma. I'm surprised she had not been given rags to wear and executed by the emperor instead... What an interesting tale.

Wujiu usually makes passing comments on how they're all attractive, and talks as if he was in the drama itself.

Wujiu: HOLY SHIT IF YOU DON'T JUST FIGHT THIS MISTRESS, WOMAN IM GOING TO DO IT FOR YOU.

Takes everything seriously there 😭 Bi'an has to switch in order to apologize to you and tell Fan he's scaring you.

Since you adorn such simple clothing, they question you about Chinese culture a lot. Had such articles of clothing been lost to time? What traditions are still practiced? Wait, the average are allowed people cut their hair? How shocking! Isn't that disrespectful to their parents? Er, which ruler is in charge of the north now?

Once you tell them all of the things that connect you to your chinese heritage, they will try and do EVERYTHING you used to do.

New Year's was it? Ah they have been on a westerners calendar for a while, so they have not been up to date. Well, this calls for special red envelopes and beautiful clothing does it not?

Adorns you only in the most beautiful traditional clothing. Hanfu's are flowy and can be quite modest, but Qipao's can be intricate and beautifully simple. Oh but you could also wear a Tangzhuang. Matching with them, what a dream come true! So cute you are... Agh, they just can't pick! Why do you have to be so beautiful?

They are also surprised by how modern traditional clothing has become. Clothing like that would've been years worth of salary for the average man! How lucky you are to be able to wear such things for a price.

Although they doll you up and celebrate with you, you aren't allowed to do anything more than to stay with them and obey the usual rules during all of it.

Damn, you don't even get anything of real material value in the red envelope. It's a love letter and a small gift. Usually jewelry or something of that minimal sort. (The gift is meaningless to you as you receive all kinds of unwanted things from them 24/7)

They are glad you are of the same ethnic background of them! You both may have not been from the same place or time, but you two both have a personal understanding of each other's identity.

Partaking in various conversations about culture, technology, celebrating traditions, partially speaking in similar language... All and more of these things have them head over heels for you.

You're just perfect! How could they ever have been so lucky to encounter someone like you in this afterlife? Although they wish not to have experienced such past hardships, they're glad all of that had amounted to this moment.

It thrills them to know that they understand you more than anyone else in this manor. No one else could spend time and appreciate you like this here. It's only them who can truly make you feel at home. A home with them. Your lovers.

Perhaps being in this wretched manor has brought something worthwhile after all. Even if they don't win, at least they have something they can bring back with them.