Intergenerational Self Fashioning by Kaitlin Banfill
Agamo and her grandmother pose at their home in Zhaojue County, Southwest China. They wear the Nuosu Yi clothing of their ethnic group. Nuosu communities have long emphasized sartorial practices. Clothing is typically imbued with aesthetic codes that reveal information about the wearers’ geographic origin, age, and social status. In recent years, young Nuosu like Agamo have become interested in wearing vintage and retro Nuosu clothing as an expression of modern style and self-fashioning. In this photo, Agamo and her grandmother demonstrate the fashion sensibilities of two generations. While Agamo wears a vintage handmade garment, her grandmother prefers a newer machine-made style.