Ethiopian Fashion

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Ethiopian fashion is widely popular around the world among fashion designers. You can see traditional Ethiopian fashion on the most high fashion runways across the planet. Ethiopian women have traditionally worn white dresses with color just above the lower hem. Men wear long tunics that have covered their pants. Gabbys are heavy cloth robes that are worn for the winter. Natella is a light gauze cloth worn for special occasions. Natella is used to make dresses with colorful borders around the hem of the dress. Women’s clothing in general is called hebesha qemis. You’ll see ladies in the cities wearing the traditional hebesha qemis mixed with a modern style.

Traditional Ethiopian fashion can still be seen in the countryside with city dwellers wearing western inspired attire and only wearing traditional attire on special occasions and holidays. Women’s clothing is primarily made of cotton cloth called shemma. Bracelets made of silver and gold are worn on the wrists and ankles to complete the look. Both men and women wear shawls and different shawls are worn for certain occasions. When going to church, women will drape their shawls over their heads to evoke modesty and respect. Women will cover their heads with a shash, a gauze-like cloth that is tied around the neck. Elderly women will wear a shash daily while younger women tend to reserve these neck garments for church or some other special occasion. For funerals, shawls are worn with the shiny portions appearing at the bottom.

Yakuza Tattoo Meanings

The origins of the yakuza are murky, but their history dates back centuries. Some say they began as ronin (samurai without masters) who stuck together and others say they had ties to the shogun government going back centuries. Tattoos in Japanese society were only reserved for criminals. The first yakuza tattoo meanings were black tattoo rings around the arm which meant you were a convict and more circles around the arm symbolized convictions. Criminal activity in Japan was something that was heavily frowned upon and those who broke the law were marked as social outcasts for life. It is highly probable that these marked convicts banded together to form what is now known as the yakuza. They were most active in the post aftermath of World War Two when Japan’s government was on the brink of collapse.

Yakuza tattoo meanings include courage, sacrifice and fierce loyalty. The size of yakuza tattoos vary from all over the back to the signature arm sleeve tattoos that would normally stop at the elbow or sometimes reach to the wrist. There is also the upper body wrap tattoo that would enclose around the ribcage and stop at the clavicle area and down the center of the navel. Sometimes these body tattoos would stop just below the buttocks. Traditional Japanese themes are prevalent in yakuza tattoos: samurai warriors, koi fish, dragons and other forms of traditional, Japanese artwork. Bright colors are essential to yakuza tattoos to make a yakuza member stand out in a crowd.

The yakuza in general are about loud and flashy in general; they can be seen wearing lavish and expensive suits that would hide their body art. Yakuza affiliates would only display their tattoos when playing cards or dice games or at a place that is safe for displaying their tattoos. The Yakuza organization in general has been a patriarchal society, but wives, mistresses and daughters of yakuza members have tattooed their skin just as heavily as male members to signify affiliation with the yakuza organization. There is still a stigma in Japanese society regarding people with tattoos, especially among people from older generations who traditionally viewed those with tattoos as criminals and yakuza affiliates. There are still certain hotels and restaurants and bath houses in Japan that ban those with tattoos. However, this stigma is beginning to wane in Japan since many young people are getting tattoos out of general interest with no ties to the yakuza.

African Traditional Clothing

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Men:

The main African garment in African traditional clothing from Africa that most may recognize is the dashiki, a shirt worn by men that fall just above the knees with the sleeve length at the elbow. They are usually buttoned down the center and embroidered around the center of the chest and neck. Dashikis can be worn with traditional African pants called sokotos, but can also be worn with regular jeans or pants. African traditional clothing would not be complete without the fila or kufi, a traditional cap worn by African men. Many would not consider traditional African wear for men complete without the fila or kufi. Dashikis have become popular around the world with people of many ethnicities wearing them.

Women

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African traditional clothing for women included the kaftan, a robe-like garment that has been worn in West Africa for centuries. Kaftans were originally a men’s garment until women began adopting them. Cleopatra of ancient Egypt was known for her kaftans that were adorned with lavish prints and amulets. In West Africa, kaftans were known as “boubou.” Kaftans have been worn all over Asia, but the African kaftan is distinct within itself. Traditionally, a kaftan that was free flowing in nature meant you were a commoner while tight fitting kaftans were worn by women from royalty or wealthy families. Colors varied from bright red and violet to more a drabber earthy décor.

These styles vary by region and tribe, but these garments are the main styles that have been worn by men and women of Africa for centuries. Indingo plant has been used as a traditional dye to get African traditional clothing in all forms of colors. Materials for both genders have been made of silk and Egyptian cotton. Children wore the same clothing; dashikis and sokotos for boys and kaftans for girls.

Nose Ring Chain

The nose ring chain is a piece of jewelry that was worn by punk rockers in the 1970s. The nose ring chain can be primarily seen today in the deathrock, goth and industrial subcultures. They are worn by first getting a simple piercing to the side of the nostril and following with another piercing on just about any portion of the ear. Some may attach a nose ring chain to the side of the lip instead of the nose. Many search for online to buy nose ring chains and you can find them at places like etsy.com or get them custom made by your local piercer; however, custom nose ring chains by piercers can be expensive and the nose ring chains places like etsy may not always have the style you have in mind.

There is a better and cheaper way of getting nose ring chains and that is to simply make them yourself. Simply go to places that sell cheap trinkets and necklace chains like wal-mart or a local flea market. You can go to the arts and craft or jewelry sections of these stores and find all sorts of little chain links, hook ends and ear pieces that you can put together on your own. You can make all sorts of nose ring chains that suit your individual tastes and length. The great thing is that these pieces usually cost no more than a dollar and you get the gratification of being creative while making something that you alone will wear and no one else.

Ancient Egyptian Wigs

Ancient Egyptian wigs were primarily reserved for the upper class and were wildly popular among the Egyptians. Everyone wanted to wear wigs and if you did not have one it was assumed you could not afford it. Ancient Egyptian wigs served practical reasons such as protection from the harsh sun. Both genders usually kept their natural hair short so as to make room for their false hair. The most expensive types of wigs were ones made of real human hair. Wigs that were made of human hair started out a 120,000 strands of hairs that were then grouped into 300 small locks. Second tier wigs were made of plant fiber or sheep wool. The hairs went through resin and beeswax before being looped and held in place with beeswax. Hair colors came in black, brown and blonde. Women wore their wigs pleated or curled and were adorned with all sorts of jewels and fancy hair pieces. Ornaments included normal hair accessories we would see today: golden strands, tassels, ribbons or flowers. Hair was held in place with hair pins and clasps.

Wigs for men were somewhat shorter and mostly decorated and adorned in the same way as women. False beards were symbols of the gods and were primarily worn by pharaohs and religious figures during special ceremonies of religious significance. False beards were pleated and knotted and affixed around the ears. False beards held such important significance that the beautiful Queen Nephertiti staked her claim as pharaoh by dressing as a man including the wearing of the false beard. Ancient Egyptian wigs were no different than other wigs worn throughout the ancient world, being symbols of wealth, pomp and extravagance.

Rockabilly Look

The rockabilly look is a retro throwback to the mid-1950s. Rockabilly is not just a look, but a way of living. For men, fashion icons like Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash sported the signature daddy o shirts with shirt collars worn over a suit jacket with slacks and creeper shoes completing the look. Men use pomade to keep the hair slicked black, usually in a men’s pompadour style. Those men who bring back the classic rockabilly look can still be seen in daddy o shirts, leather jackets and pompadour hairstyles that came to define the 1950s.

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Women who sport the rockabilly look today do so through 1950s style tea dresses that stopped at the knee. Capri pants are also popular pants. Women style their hair in typical 1950s pomp and glimmering form. Women can also wear their hair in all sorts of styles and colors. Though tattoos were not popular in 1950s mainstream culture, a big part of the rockabilly look today is ink on both men and women, usually vintage or retro inspired. Big themes in rockabilly are about fast cars, cute girls, and flames, the same themes that 1950s youths enjoyed while disapproving parents looked on in disdain.

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The rockabilly look today is a unique combination of retro style with a modern twist. The interesting thing about the rockabilly subculture today is the primary support and admiration of young people who were not born in the 1950s. Both men and women that keep the rockabilly look alive today have a unique fondness for the period and probably know more about 1950s culture more so than those who grew up during the decade.

Victorian Sexuality

Despite the veneer of repressive rules and strict layering of clothing during the 1800s, Victorian sexuality was more pronounced than many in the modern world had been led to believe. The topic of sex was discussed widely among doctors, intellectual circles and among the wealthy. The wealthy were at a better position to defy social codes and express their sexuality in the Victorian era, but Victorians had a preoccupation with sex like never before in history. Victorian sexuality included campaigns against such issues as the individual who spent too much time alone, otherwise called “solitary vice” or “onanism.” There were numerous burlesques and cabaret shows where patrons could enjoy flowing drinks, crude jokes and scantily clad women. Open comments about a woman’s undergarment was unacceptable however.

Women were only expected to have sex with their husbands and remain chaste until marriage. Men, however, could have multiple female partners; homosexuality in the Victorian era was underground and remained taboo. Those who chose to steer away from sexual moral codes did so underground in the form of secret brothels or gambling parlors, usually in basements or dens of an established business. Sexuality in the Victorian era mostly pertained mostly to women who faced the heaviest restrictions. Therefore, women who broke sexual norms usually exposed their stockings and wore shorter skirts. Sensual Victorian photographs always showed a woman with stockings and her dress lifted up. Topless photos would come later, but Victorian sexuality era always included legs exposed, usually covered with stockings. There was no difference between Victorian sexuality and the expression of sex in other centuries; the difference was that vice and sensuality of Victorians was done more so in secret and away from prying eyes of neighbors.