Change Over Time

Now that we've talked about gender neutrality and men's hanfu, let's explore some unisex hanfu that are traditionally enjoyed by everyone! In my last two articles, I talked about men’s hanfu and also my personal experience with hanfu as a gender-fluid person, meaning that my gender can change over time. But much of hanfu doesn’t distinguish between female and male, and the gender norms of ancient China differ between the dynasties and can contrast sharply with the definitions of feminine and masculine today. Let’s explore some of the most popular gender-neutral hanfu! Waist-High Ruqun / Yichang ( / ) Noto only is the waist-high ruqun one of the most popular styles of women’s hanfu, it’s also probably the most popular style of all hanfu, whether men’s, women’s, or something in between. For good reason, too—the silhouette of the ruqun is beautiful, allowing the high waist to be cinched in for a more feminine silhouette and accentuating the shoulders of a masculine silhouette, with long pleated skirts making the bodyline look longer. Men’s ruqun can sometimes be called yichang, but it’s essentially the same kind of clothing: a ru or yi as the top, usually cross-collared and long sleeves, and a…