Her World, Women and Fashion in Singapore 1974-1989

Rezensionen / Stimmen

Her World, Women and Fashion in Singapore 1974-1989 offers a vital, non-Eurocentric exploration of how fashion magazines, like Her World, have reflected and shaped evolving female and multicultural identities in Southeast Asia. Nadya Wang thoroughly showcases the multifaceted narratives of Singaporean women, the development of a Southeast Asian fashion industry, while also revealing the history and construction of diverse national identities. * Faith Cooper, Creator, Asian Fashion Archive, USA * Fashion as showcased in Singapore's home-grown Her World magazine is the lens through which Nadya Wang examines the space women hold in Singapore in the years 1974-1989, the choice of dates reflecting the sometimes disruptive and changing role of women from homemakers and wives to working professionals. Wang unearths depth in the parallel worlds of fashion and womanhood and analyses the nuances of the changing role of women and fashion in Singapore as they sought validation abroad and at home. The language is intellectually analytical and, at the same time, engagingly informal and the author's passion for the subject shines through. As a former journalist at Her World and a Singapore woman who lived through those times, it is such a pleasure for me to have my life and fashion choices defined as having such a significant a place in my country's cultural evolution. * Violet Oon, chef; former arts, culture and food critic; former journalist at Her World magazine, Singapore * Wang examines how fashion shaped and reflected the evolving identities of Singaporean women during a formative era, offering a thoughtful examination of their roles, beauty standards, and identities across age, race, and nationality-an important contribution to the study of fashion in Southeast Asia. * Angelene Wong, Research Scholar, Nanyang Technological University; Adjunct Lecturer, LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore. * Wang's book unfurls profound insights into the evolving feminine roles of Singapore's multi-racial women amid rapid economic transformation. Viewed through the prism of fashion media - tracing journeys from the "accidental career girl" to the "Working Mother of the Year" - Her World makes a notable contribution to Asian fashion and media scholarship. * Tommy Tse, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands * A deep and rich exploration of how a uniquely Singaporean magazine celebrated local style, industry, and the expanding opportunities for women in the country's nascent years. This book vividly demonstrates the role fashion media can play in developing national identity through dress and visual culture, and it provides a dynamic history of how the 'Singapore woman' came to see herself as a fashionable, cosmopolitan subject. * Laura Snelgrove, Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder, The Fashion Studies Journal, Canada * Her World, Women and Fashion in Singapore, 1974-89 is a seminal work illuminating how fashion shaped and reflected the changing roles of Singapore women in the 70s and 80s. Through meticulous research, Dr Nadya Wang offers a much-needed contribution to Singapore's fashion history and heritage at the intersection of style, identity, and social transformation. * Fauzy Ismail, President, Singapore Heritage Society, Singapore *