When we first came to China, I was surprised and a little disdainful at their "fashion sense." Plaids are often mixed with stripes, red and pink are commonly mixed together and socks are always worn with heels. Boys often wear pink and girls wear reds and blues.
I love all of our daughters clothes. As an American, I am endowed with the idea that kids MUST have cute clothes.
I find myself getting exasperated at having to put a bulky coat over a cute outfit- but if I ever leave the house without putting a coat on her, I get eaten alive by old ladies in the court yard-- and more than once, have been pushed back inside and ordered to "put more clothes on that child!"
I brought back a cute pair of shoes from America that are thin with a little velcro strap and have sweet little flowers embroidered all over.
They are unacceptable.
So unacceptable, in fact, that my friends went out and bought these shoes for Joelle:
They are not black with sweet pink and purple flowers on them. No. They are bulky, red and the shoelaces are made from scrap fabric. The sole of the shoe is made from layers of fabric glued together and then enforced with stitches- the same way they were made during China's cultural revolution.
But the more I put them on and get nods of approval from the judges who sit stoicly in my courtyard and wait for me to come out of our apartment to give inspection, the more I adore the sweet, fuzzy hand-made shoes that don't match one single piece of clothing Joelle owns.
Fashion does not reign supreme here- warmth, health and comfort are all that matters when it comes to your child... industry and resourcefulness beats "cute".
I'm also amazed that these shoes are handmade!
What do you think? I think she rocks the red cloth shoes.
