[PHOTOS] When Teens Swap Clothes With Their Elderly Relatives
Many of us grow up with the vague notion that as we get older, our wardrobe should be changing right there along with us. We're taught to "dress our age," without knowing exactly what this even means. Cue Qozop, a photographer who challenges the all-mighty assumptions associated with age and ensembles in his series "Spring -- Autumn."
By Sadho Ram — 13 Feb 2014, 06:17 PM — Updated over 10 years ago
Much of societal beliefs and traditions are often reflected through the clothings we wear. Artist Qozop captures this sensibility ever present in Asian cultures through his series ‘Spring-Autumn’ that juxtaposes the dress of youths with that of their elders
Though Asia has become westernized to a large degree, older generations often still dress in ethnic attire, while teens prefer contemporary styles.
Revealing the issues of identity and age, Qozop swaps the clothing of youths and their elderly relatives, literally placing them in the others shoes.
Qozop says "Fashion (other than wrinkles) is one of the best tell-tales of how old a person is, or what generation they hail from"
"Skinny jeans just aren’t a thing for old people. But! Imagine a world where people of a certain age need not necessarily dress a certain way," Qozop adds further.
Qozop's series is made up of seven photos, capturing a clothing swap between two family members of starkly different generations. The more traditional garb is switched up with younger, trendy threads.
While at times it's hard to tell which is which, one thing is for certain: when a mother and daughter trade a sari for a bandana, it's a beautiful thing.
What the photos highlight isn’t a lesson in fashion, but rather one in the understanding of self. None of the participants look odd or ridiculous in the other’s clothing, just that they are highlighting a different part of their personalities.
‘It was easy to get the kids to agree to be photographed, the older folks required a little coaxing,’ Qozop explains, ‘but once they have been photographed, they were often curious and amused to see themselves in their son’s or grandson’s attire – some were so comfortable in their new getup that they joked that they wanted to remain in that attire for the rest of the day!’
And as if Qozop hadn't already won over our hearts with his smile-inducing photos, he sealed the deal with his website's artist bio. It mentions:
"There is nothing special about me. I am just an artist who has caught a picture-making sickness."
