Appearance Is Everything Suicide and Chinese Culture
Uploaded by knoxville on Oct 29, 2004
Maxine Hong Kingston’s essay “No Name Woman,“ is a gender focused story describing some of the behavior and beliefs of the Chinese culture. It entails Kingston’s mother revealing to her her unmentionable aunt. Her mother tells her of the tragic story of her aunt’s suicide. She explains that her aunt became pregnant by a man other than her husband. She took the life of her and her child as a result of the community’s reaction to her adulterous pregnancy. In the essay, Kingston illustrates several behaviors and traditions that took place in her culture. One that stood out the most was the impression that her society had of women. For instance, the way a woman appeared exteriorly could distinguish her personal disposition as well as her marital status.
The fact that women could be so easily judged is described in Kingston’s quote: “On a farm near the sea, a woman who tended to her appearance reaped a reputation for eccentricity. All married women blunt-cut their hair in flaps behind their ears or pulled back in tight buns. No nonsense. Neither style blew easily into heart-catching tangles. And at their weddings they displayed themselves in their long hair for the last time.” (328). In other words a woman was viewed as strange if she primped and fussed over her appearance. If she wore clothes of certain colors or styles it said something about her personality and demeanor. Furthermore, men could tell if a woman was available for marriage if her hair was long and flowing. If a woman was already married it was expected she should pay little attention to her appearance.
This perception in Chinese culture endorses that a person can be judged simply by the way they look. In our society this same notion is relevant in the adolescent subculture. In this day and age there are several ways of dressing and expressing yourself. Many of these ways of dressing are named. One example of this named fashion would be what teenagers call a prep, meaning the wearer looks as if they attend a preparatory school.
When someone is distinguished as a prep generally the clothes they wear are from particular stores such as J. Crew, Abercrombie and Fitch, American Eagle, Gap, or Aeropostale. The clothes are very...