Traditionally Untraditional

Only a decade or so ago it was quite unusual to see female university students wearing earrings. Dyed hair and make up were almost never seen. Now, however, many girls have pierced ears and dyed hair and some, if they can afford it, wear make up too. It's also not uncommon to see the guys with earings and dyed hair. While this might seem nothing new to most in the west it really is quite a marked change between the current generation of teens and twenty-somethings with their more traditional parents.


This student though is combining her modern sense of identity with a nod to Chinese tradition by threading a red lace (red being traditionally lucky in China) through her 3 piercings and using a traditional Chinese knot, the type often used as a fastening on old jackets in China, to hold it in place. Pretty cool if you ask me.

(by Andy Meek)