Don't use the "label" of innovation to be vulgar and cheap.

“Inappropriate” national costumes performed by contestants in international competitions

In fact, many contestants when coming to the beauty arena have chosen to invest in the national costume competition instead of swimsuit or evening gown, which shows that the desire to aim for traditional values of the competition is increasingly high. However, besides the designs that are invested in elaborately and carefully, there are still designs that lack aesthetics, even excessive and offensive.

View from the competitions

In 2022, the two Miss Universe Vietnam and Miss Grand Vietnam contests caused a stir with national costume designs inspired by... Ca Mau crabs, nail salons, and altars (?!). Except for describing the idea of "attaching" it to Vietnamese culture, the designs were combined very awkwardly, not at all compatible, and mixed with trends from neighboring countries. Obviously, culture is "soft", but it also needs certain boundaries to respect and preserve.

It is possible to mention the design called Altar at Miss Grand Vietnam 2022 that shocked many people because of its "unique" creativity. Specifically, the design was inspired by the Vietnamese belief in ancestor worship, but it was not suitable for traditional customs when it included ancestral photos, incense bowls, flower vases, and food trays on the costume. Also a few months ago, the outfit that Thach Kiem Mara performed at the Mister Global contest also made the public "shake their heads in dismay". The design was said to be modeled after the Ly Dynasty costume, including Giao Linh ao dai, skirt, belt, cover... made of taffta material, but overall it was very "ungraceful" and did not leave any impression on the viewer.

Or most recently, social networks were abuzz when Hoang Duc Trung, a contestant representing Vietnam at the Mister Altitude World 2023 contest, announced a national costume inspired by Saigon's broken rice, with the shirt consisting of an image of a plate of broken rice overlapping, covering the chest; underneath, he only wore pants/skirts made of thin white fabric. Along with that, Hoang Duc Trung also wore a conical hat with two large red words "Vietnam". Many opinions said that the costume was too simple, unaesthetic, and did not highlight the country's culture.

Can't be easy

Many opinions say that Vietnamese beauty does not necessarily have to bring international Ao Dai, Ao Ba Ba, Ao Tu Than... We should have more iconic designs that highlight the country's unique cultural features. If designers have moderate innovation along with creativity, conveying ideas with depth, this will contribute to helping Vietnamese beauty leave many beautiful impressions on the international stage. We have had many good creations that have been positively received such as the Nang May costume by Le Hang at Miss Universe 2016, Hoa Trang Nguyen by Phuong Anh at Miss International 2022, Rong Chau Mat Troi by Tuong San at Miss International 2019... Creating a new design that ensures aesthetics, is rich in meaning but still retains the national spirit is not easy, but that does not mean it cannot be done, if the designer puts his heart into those designs.

Not only in beauty contests, but the image of traditional costumes has also been distorted on fashion runways and music shows... Most recently, the image in the New traditional show by designer Tuong Danh held in Thu Duc City (HCMC) became the focus of public criticism with the image of a model wearing a conical hat, wearing a stylized yếm shirt, revealing her back and buttocks. In another design, a male model had a shaved head, wore a yellow outfit with a high collar, and posed next to a golden bell. Many designs also had the same shape as the traditional áo dài and yếm shirt but had bold cuts... This series of costumes by this designer was judged by the public as "trash", insulting culture and religion but taking advantage of the name of "experimenting" the artist's ego.

Previously, many models, actors, and singers were also "whistled" for using traditional costumes but innovating them so much that they were... vulgar. Obviously, it is unacceptable to use the name of artistic creation to distort national costumes. This requires each designer, when starting to reform and innovate, to have a solid professional background, on the basis of promoting the foundation of Vietnamese culture and spirit. Every innovation has its limits, if it goes too far, it will cause the costumes to be deformed, distorted, and the consequence is the distorted perception of later generations about traditional values through costumes.

To develop and integrate, of course, we cannot eliminate new things. However, when fashion is associated with cultural elements, it is necessary to maintain that characteristic. As in international competitions, whether large or small, the name of the country is still the decisive factor. Therefore, concepts such as tradition and ethnicity must be respected and placed first, and cannot just follow trends easily.

THAO MY

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