Intercultural Communication Studies XVII: 2 2008 Kong Military Uniform as a Fashion during the Cultural Revolution

This paper investigates the development and significance of military uniforms during the Cultural Revolution. Due to superior material and appealing colors, in conjunction with the ideology they stood for, the military uniforms were the clothing of choice for revolution-minded youth. Starting with the political and military elite, the fashion for military attire spread to Red Guards and Educated Youth, and eventually became popular throughout China. This reflects two ideological connotations of the military uniform at that time: anti-individualism and equality. After the Tian’anmen Incident in 1989, the military uniform ceased to be fashionable. Gone with the military uniform is not only the chaos of those years but also a certain zeal to reform Chinese society. There are three parts to this article. The first part focuses on two conditions that led to the military uniform becoming fashionable, including both economical circumstances and their effect on fabric and color and ideological notions about style. The second part deals with the spread of military uniforms. The third section addresses the value system represented by the military uniform, which emphasize