Western students come from a number of regions and cultures; and though each cultural group possesses its own traditions and values, the importance of clothing transcends geographic barriers. Body adornment, whether for celebratory purposes or for everyday wear, can serve a variety of purposes. In some cultures, clothing allows for self-expression and creativity, whereas other societies use clothes to create a sense of unity and conformity. In Eastern cultures, religion tends to heavily influence fashion. Particularly in Islamic countries, such as Iran or Afghanistan, modesty is very important, junior Meysam Adibzadeh said. Adibzadeh considers himself to be ‘bicultural,’ having immigrated to the United States as a teenager. Spending his formative years in Iran, he recalled the way Iranian culture and clothing have evolved. “If you look before the Iranian Revolution, people were dressed a lot more like people in Europe or here, even,” Adibzadeh said. “But after the revolution, the hijab started to be worn.” The hijab is a layer of cloth wrapped around a woman’s head, covering her hair, shoulders and chest. Worn underneath the hijab is a long cloak to cover the rest of a woman’s body, called the chador. An undercoat known as a manto may also be worn for additional coverage, Adibzadeh said. “The role of the hijab in Persian culture is to cover the showing of a woman’s skin, besides the face, to men who are not related to the woman,” Adibzadeh said. “However, not everyone likes all of the parts of the hijab. Sometimes there are mantos that may be shorter or tighter, and show skin. There is no chador involved.” Although there is some flexibility regarding hijab styles, clothing is still strictly enforced in Iran. For women, covering one’s hair and body is mandatory by law; choosing to forgo a hijab in public is a punishable offense, Adibzadeh said. “A lot of [women] will get arrested, fined or imprisoned for not covering themselves,” Adibzadeh said. “Although many things have been modernized these days, women still have it very hard in Iran when it comes to clothes.” Though many cultures have evolved and adapted to reflect modern times, countries like China continue to celebrate history and ancient traditions through clothing, freshman Anthie Poon said. “Not many people wear traditional clothing in China for everyday use,” Poon said. “However, for special occasions and celebrations, like birthdays or weddings, people will wear the color red for good luck.” Though everyday fashion in China is fairly Westernized, Chinese entertainment still incorporates more traditional garb, Poon said. “In traditional Chinese opera, outfits are very ornate and detailed,” Poon said. “Outfits have to be pretty easy to move in, since they incorporate acrobatics, martial arts and dance. They are usually very colorful, and the designs on the outfits represent different things. For example, a dragon for luck, and other pieces of nature would represent other things.” In Cambodian (Khmer) culture, clothing is significant in a number of different ways, junior Danny Duok, dance coordinator and president of the WWU Khmer Student Association, said. “One significant clothing item to us is called the kroma, which is a checkered Cambodian scarf that has been used for centuries amongst different generations,” Duok said. “The reason that it is important to us is because we use it universally for almost everything. We not only use it as a scarf around our neck, but also we can turn it into a miniature hammock for children. My uncle had a flat tire on his bike and he even used [the kroma] to stuff the tire somehow.”