Tag Archives: Wu Zetian

Fleeting: Costume Inspirations

Earlier I mentioned an article that gave inspirations of female icons to dress up as for Halloween… after a bit of web surfing I found myself down the rabbit hole of Take Back Halloween: A Costume Guide for Women With Imagination.

Really now?

To say that I was intrigued is an understatement. Nevertheless I was curious enough to look through the various female icons that were shown.

One of the first that I looked at was for Zenobia (since I posted a bit about an original musical coming next year). The ancient Syrian garb of the time tends to have a decidedly Hellenistic feel (lots of layers, draped tunics, and scarves for good measure), but I have yet to see a production on stage or in movies that show off that ancient garb in a flattering and historically accurate light.

Though I digress.

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Fleeting: Việt Nam’s Heroines – The Trưng sisters, Phùng Thị Chính and Lady Triệu

It is rather embarrassing when one’s beau knows more about your heritage’s past and history more than you do… particularly if this beau happens to be not of the culture. This happened to be the case with my current beau over the past few months.

One of the things that isn’t all that known in Vietnamese history (or Asian history for that matter) is the number of women that stood up against the Chinese oppressors of Việt Nam. Keep in mind that Việt Nam was under Chinese control for over one thousand years during which the Vietnamese people essentially lost much of their national identity, writing system and language.

Everyone knows of Joan of Arc or Elizabeth I, but when one thinks of Asia they automatically look at Mulan (thanks Disney) which is great and all… but there are others, though some questionably and some with a lot of blood on their hands.

Two of the more prominent heroines were the Trưng sisters and Lady Triệu.
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