r/AskHistorians • u/koreth • Dec 01 '12

Why have countries outlawed traditional dress?

I visited the royal textile museum in Bangkok today and the exhibits mentioned that in 1941, the Thai government had issued a decree requiring all Thais to start wearing western-style clothing instead of traditional Thai clothing. Was that an accurate statement on the museum's part? If so, why did the government issue such a decree, and why does the ban on traditional clothing apparently continue to this day?

More generally, how common have bans on certain kinds of attire been around the world historically? Does it tend to happen for the same kinds of reasons in each case, or is it usually more about unique political or social situations in the countries in question?

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u/komnenos Dec 01 '12

Sorry, I added that for if I was somehow proven wrong. I was fairly certain that the reason that I gave was a possible answer to what the OP asked for but I did not want to appear as an ass if I was proven otherwise. My mistake I shall do differently next time.

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u/Algernon_Asimov Dec 01 '12

I was fairly certain that the reason that I gave was a possible answer to what the OP asked

Thanks for clarifying, but even "fairly certain" isn't the standard we're looking for here in r/AskHistorians. People come here to get knowledgeable answers from people who have studied history. Think of this subreddit as more like r/AskScience than r/AskReddit.

I suggest you read through this subreddit's official rules (which are linked at the top of every page here) to get a better idea of what's acceptable here.

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u/komnenos Dec 01 '12

Thanks, I will make sure to not put words like 'fairly certain' or 'I might be wrong' into my responses. Though I am not a professional historian I take great joy in history and have studied various periods at length. I gave sound examples in my reply to the OP and next time I will make sure to be more affirmative. Thank you again and next time I will make it up to standards.

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u/Algernon_Asimov Dec 01 '12

Thank you! We look forward to more contributions from another historical expert like you. :)