Is Dior’s feminist message much more muted in China?
Although things are considerably better in today’s China, feminism is not considered to be widely accepted as in the West
This article was written by Huixin Deng and originally published in Jing Daily.
When Maria Grazia Chiuri became the first female artistic director of Dior in 2016, she shifted the brand’s design focus from “feminine” toward “feminist”. Last year, for instance, she printed the phrase “we should all be feminists” on a US$710 T-shirt, promising an undefined percentage of profits would go to charity.
A few days ago, Chiuri again demonstrated her belief that fashion designers define femininity and that contemporary femininity should be feminist. In a show opening Paris Fashion Week, she papered the walls with feminist slogans including “women’s rights are human rights” and offered up a sweater that seemed to demand greater regard for the importance of consent. “C’est Non, Non, Non, et Non,” the sweater reads, which means “It’s No, No, No, and No” in English.
In the age of #MeToo and Time’s Up, Chiuri’s bold stance has quickly captured the attention of the Western hemisphere. But were Chinese consumers equally invigorated?
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As live streams of the Dior show began, comments on Weibo suggested little interest in the feminist ideas behind the clothes. Some said their first impression of the show was that it was a mix of “Forever 21 and Zara”.