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November 10, 2018

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Quirky? Perhaps, but we're happy the way we are

THE term dama, which refers to women who are middle-aged or older in Chinese, often is used pejoratively to criticize a group of people who show bizarre fashion tastes or rude behavior.

However, two French artists, Elsa Bouillot and Monique Fei, have managed to spotlight the charm of dama, who are more commonly called ayi in Shanghai.

The duo, who have been living in China for years, recently released an art project in the form of a magazine entitled “Mimei” (迷妹), to record the life and style of dama and share their own attachment to the group.

“Unfortunately, people don’t talk much about them (dama), especially the way we do, which is with care, love and curiosity,” says Bouillot. “That’s why we want to share our interest with the rest of the world, more specifically with Chinese youth, foreigners in China and our friends in Europe.”

“Mimei” is a relatively new buzzword in China, literally meaning “fan girls.” The duo chose the word to reflect the way they are and the way they react to dama.

Bouillot left France for China in 2010 to study at Shanghai University for a master’s degree in business and management, while Fei started learning Chinese at the age of 13 and first visited China at the age of 15.

After graduating in Paris, Fei entered Shanghai Jiao Tong University for further Chinese studies before moving to the United Kingdom to continue her academic career.

It was Fei who became fascinated by dama during her stay in Shanghai. One day she saw a dama, who looked to be about 75 years old, dancing alone on the street. She watched the woman for a while, before the lady invited Fei to join her.
Fei did and followed her steps. To Fei’s surprise and amazement, the lady suddenly did the splits.

“Since I was reproducing every step she was doing, I had to follow her and do the splits as well,” she says. “Everyone around went a bit mental and started screaming and clapping, taking pictures and giving us the high five. I will never forget the energy and enthusiasm around us.”

Dama fashion style also inspired Fei to create latex arts. She made latex over-sleeves and other accessories according to the things she frequently saw them wearing.

Fei became acquainted with Bouillot through a common friend. Under Fei’s influence, Bouillot started to “stalk” the old ladies on the street and was equally fascinated by their style.

In spite of their majors, Bouillot is a photographer (https://www.instagram.com/elsa_asia) and Fei is a stylist and artist (https://www.instagram.com/moniquefei). They combined their artistic talents to come up with the idea of starting a magazine about dama. They do all the design, writing and photography themselves.

The inspiration came from an old magazine called “Better Life” that Fei owned. The women’s magazine, which was published in the 1980s and 90s, focused on how to make clothes, do makeup and take pictures.

To replicate the style of old magazines when making “Mimei,” the two found samples from a stack of about 40 magazines collected by a local senior citizen.

“It seemed that the magazines once belonged to a Chinese lady who was working in a camera factory because she left some paper notes in the magazines,” Bouillot says. “We liked the size, the paper and colors of the magazines, as well as the way the text was laid out. Using pages of those magazines gave them a second life and allowed us to link generations.”

The first issue of “Mimei” did a good job creating a vintage vibe, from its layout to the content. The 55-page issue includes life tips, such as traditional Chinese ways to overcome menstrual discomfort, dama private homemade dumpling recipes and street gossip passed among different groups of dama. Some of the pictures in “Mimei” are ripped off from the old magazines, but some are newly taken by Bouillot.

During their adventure with the magazine, Bouillot took numerous pictures of dama on the street. Some of the women were shy in the beginning but soon became comfortable in front of the camera.

“We once nicely asked two ayis to take a picture of them wearing our over-sleeves while exercising in a park,” Bouillot says. “They instantly told us that they didn’t want to because they weren’t pretty enough. But after some reassuring compliments, they got on leg swingers and started posing and smiling.”

Some of the pictures also feature a model named Onojia, who is a friend of the duo. Despite being a man, Onojia embodies dama grace perfectly, they say.

“When we were looking for a model, we were not looking at gender,” Bouillot says. “When we met Onojia, we immediately thought he was just perfect for the role. He was super flexible, fun and quite a dancer.”

The duo says there is no such thing as dama in France. You don’t see older women in Paris doing what they do in China.

“In our magazine, we want to show their happiness as if they were living a second life,” Bouillot says. “We want to show their grace when they dance, their nosy side, especially when they gossip all together, and how powerful and free they are. We want to show that they still like to get dressed up and be pretty.”

She adds, “People often tell us that our first issue of “Mimei” opened their eyes on the good side of dama.”

The duo insists that dama in Shanghai have an incredible fashion sense. They mix and match colors, patterns, layers and accessories such as over-sleeves,  hats and anti-pollution masks.

“Comfy or convenient doesn’t mean suibian (random and informal) at all,” Bouillot says. “They are very coquettish, and thus they always present themselves with pride. They are independent women who don’t care about fashion dictates and invent their own fashion and lifestyle.”

Now the duo is preparing the second issue of “Mimei,” which is expected to be released next year. It will be focused on shushu, or “uncles,” looking at the men behind dama.
 




 

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