Caption this!
by Carmen Van Kerckhove
I know it’s customary to wear the national costume of the hosting country at these summits, but I still find this photo hilarious. Thanks to Ji In for sharing!
President George Bush (left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin wear ‘ao dai’ Vietnamese tunics at the APEC summit in Vietnam, Nov. 19, 2006. (Source)
I think we can come up with a better caption than that, don’t you think? Post a comment with your own caption! 
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of 
Julie E wrote:
Does this make me look fat?
Posted 20 Nov 2006 at 12:59 pm ¶
Julie E wrote:
Soooooo not my color!
Posted 20 Nov 2006 at 1:00 pm ¶
Julie E wrote:
I was told not to wear anything from the waist down and now it’s creeping into my butt. Unh!
Posted 20 Nov 2006 at 1:02 pm ¶
sume wrote:
What the pho?!
Posted 20 Nov 2006 at 2:22 pm ¶
MizuWari wrote:
“Komrade Boosh, I kannot VAIT tu get dese kimono auf my bah-dy and get intu a glass of Stoli. Vanna join me latah een my room?”
Posted 20 Nov 2006 at 2:40 pm ¶
HighJive wrote:
bush: i’m hans.
putin: and i’m franz.
together: and we’re here to pump you up!
Posted 20 Nov 2006 at 2:46 pm ¶
daddyinastrangeland wrote:
“So, the old guy who sold you these guaranteed that they’d make us fly like in ‘Crouching Tiger,’ right?”
Posted 20 Nov 2006 at 3:36 pm ¶
Rob wrote:
“Why hello there, ping pong.”
“Uhhh, my name is Putin.”
“Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure, it is.”
Posted 20 Nov 2006 at 3:50 pm ¶
Kai wrote:
World leaders go for Missy Elliot look in outreach to the Asian hip hop vote.
Posted 20 Nov 2006 at 4:11 pm ¶
q wrote:
i find it quite offensive that people are amused at these “dresses” for several reasons: (1) there’s nothing wrong with a man in a dress, (2) these outfits aren’t “dresses”, which brings me to (3) traditional clothing should not be subject to ethnocentric comments and ridicule (although i find nothing wrong with ridiculing george w.). do we laugh at people who wear silk nooses (neckties) around their necks when they come to the west? just my 2 cents.
another coverage of this whole thing that is actually quite offensive: http://www.wonkette.com/politics/george-w.-bush/world-leaders-in-dresses-hot-apec-action-215991.php
Posted 20 Nov 2006 at 6:58 pm ¶
naina wrote:
i agree with q. If they were visiting India and donned Nehru jackets and a so-called anti-racist website cracked jokes about it I’d be pissed off, too. And calling it a “costume” doesn’t really do much to help your supposed cause to diffuse “otherness,” either.
Posted 20 Nov 2006 at 7:49 pm ¶
Carmen Van Kerckhove wrote:
Ok, I think sume takes the prize with “what the pho?” and not only because pho is possibly my most favorite food in the world.
q - I don’t think anyone at this site referred to the ao dai as “dresses.”
naina - the primary definition of “costume” is “a style of dress, including accessories and hairdos, esp. that peculiar to a nation, region, group, or historical period.”
And it’s not the ao dai themselves I find funny, it’s the awkwardness of Bush and Putin in them, especially when they’re on official diplomatic business.
I was similarly mortified by former Chinese president Jiang Zemin’s donning of a cowboy hat when he visited the U.S. back in 1997.
Posted 20 Nov 2006 at 8:12 pm ¶
makethelogobigger wrote:
Ok, skip the fashion. How about we just make fun of George Bush instead?
Is there a master list somewhere of stuff we should avoid making fun of?
Posted 20 Nov 2006 at 10:18 pm ¶
HighJive wrote:
q and naina make interesting points.
I apologize if anyone took offense to my corny line. I was reacting only to the photo, which looked like the two were sporting inflated shirts.
At the same time, I never assumed they were wearing garb that had reverent symbolism; i.e., I did not view it as the equivalent of Bush and Putin donning a Native American headdress. After all, that would be inappropriate, I think. If the two had visited Hawaii, and put on grass skirts, would it not be fodder for comedy? Actually, I don’t know — maybe Hawaiians would take offense.
It goes to show that our global society is rife with opportunities for cultural gaffes.
Not sure if anything I just typed makes sense…
Posted 20 Nov 2006 at 11:45 pm ¶
Meg wrote:
every year at apec “respected” world leaders wear clothes which are ‘funny’ compared to their normal beige suits. Next year it’s in sydney, australia and hopefully my country can make them all look as stupid as humanly possible
and since our PM is shamelessly anglo you won’t have to worry about cultural sensitivities, and will probably get a dodgy pic of w to make fun of before he retires to a lifetime of cowboy-ing in texas.
Posted 21 Nov 2006 at 12:17 am ¶
sume wrote:
Heh, thanks Carmen. I saw that phrase on a shirt a while back and it was the first thing that came to mind. I love pho, too!
Photo-wise, what struck me is not only that they were in ao dais but in matching ones as well! It has nothing to do with the ao dais themselves but Bush and Putin in them.
Posted 21 Nov 2006 at 8:53 am ¶
Eric Daniels wrote:
“Torn between Two Lovers, feeling like a Fool”
Posted 21 Nov 2006 at 10:16 am ¶
tmk wrote:
Carmen-Not to worry they have their “official business” suits underneath!
Posted 21 Nov 2006 at 2:44 pm ¶
Danni wrote:
I think what’s funny is the idea of W being “forced” to go away from his “norm,” and thinking about how he might deal with that, not so much the outfits themselves.
Posted 22 Nov 2006 at 6:34 pm ¶