The United States had been appreciating the low cost of clothing and textiles from China so much that it was reducing the amount of products made in the US, which had a significant impact on the US economy. With the ongoing recession, unemployment was already a major concern for the nation and any outsourcing of labor would only exacerbate the problem. Additionally, Reagan did not like the idea of his ideological rival, the communist state of China, potentially increasing their economic power and consequently increasing their world influence.
The film industry continued to portray the Hollywood version of life in China with action movies starring characters like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. The films idealized martial arts, which caused the sport to grow in popularity in the US in the 1970s and 80s as children wanted to replicate the actors they saw in films. These movies were the first time that many children were seeing a Chinese character as the good guy and hero. It was contrary to what many of their parents experienced with McCarthyism and the Red Scare that had happened in Hollywood only a decade prior to Lee’s most famous film, Enter the Dragon.
While hairstyles meant to mimic those found in China quickly lost popularity, casting white actors and actresses in roles where they were to play Chinese characters did not. One of the earliest documented instances of an actress dressed as a Chinese character was in 1759 in a production of a Chinese play called The Orphan of Zhao. The actress in the image is Mary Anne Yates, the first woman to play the lead role in the adapted play.
As interest in China grew around the turn of the century in the 1900s, the arts began to focus on the country as a subject of interest. Watching the plays that were written during this time period was the first time that many individuals were exposed to China in any way other than simply hearing about politics. However, because of the way that most Europeans viewed individuals who are native to other continents, there were only caucasian actors and actresses who took on the roles.
The Hair à la Chinoise style was in fact so popular that there are many art pieces depicting the hairstyle that are not even attached to any particular woman. The style is relatively easy to achieve compared to the other complicated styles of wealthy women as it only requires a few pins and a curling iron, making it quite popular for a decade.
The Hair à la Chinoise hairstyle continued to spread through western culture and made it to Russia where wealthy women continued the trend. Although Russia is geographically close to China, the Russian elite considered themselves to be more similar to their british and french counterparts. Their fashion and lifestyles mimicked that of their western friends in order to allow for a fluid transition from one society to another.
The Hair à la Chinoise was one of the first fashion styles in the western world to have taken note from China. The look originated from France but was supposed to be representative of the styles worn in China. For some, it was the first representation of the country that they were seeing in their everyday lives. Due to the impractical nature of the hair style and the time that it took to put together, the hairstyle was mainly worn by upper class women and children. The bun at the top was supposed to be what was primarily reminiscent of the queue hairstyle worn by men in China to show their filial piety to the dynastic line.