China May Ban Clothes That Hurt People’s Feelings. People Are Outraged.

In the 1980s, people in China could land themselves in trouble with the government for their fashion choices.

Flared pants and bluejeans were considered “weird attire.” Some government buildings barred men with long hair and women wearing makeup and jewelry. Patrols organized by factories and schools cut flared pants and long hair with scissors.

It was the early days of China’s era of reform and opening up. The Communist Party was loosening its tight control over society little by little, and the public was pushing the limits of self-expression and...