The “Ie” is a type of traditional Romanian blouse; it is a national symbol and the cornerstone of traditional Romanian clothing. Its design varies from relatively simple to extremely intricate, and the motives vary from region to region. There were even multiple plagiarism scandals, when Dior, Louis Vuitton, or other fashion brands “took inspiration” from the Ie in their designs.
But, the Ie is under threat. Not from declining popularity, although your average Joe (Ion as we say in Romania) will not be wearing an Ie, but from right-wing extremism.
In recent years, Romania’s far-right and its supporters have started hijacking important cultural symbols, including the Ie, and national dances like the horă or traditional music. Far-right MPs like George Simion or the pro-Russian neo-fascist MEP, Diana Șoșoacă, have been increasingly sporting the Ie, and at their rallies, one can commonly see individuals dressed in the Ie, patriotically blaring traditional music.
The fundamental issue that has reoccurred is that recently, an individual’s embracing of national symbols like the Ie is being perceived as an indicator of whether someone is a far-right nationalist or not
This leads to a form of voluntary abstinence from cherishing national symbols and even a weariness of other people’s interpretations. People are asking themselves: “If I wear an Ie, will society think I am one of the extremists? ” or “if I join a horă, do I risk accidentally aligning myself with fascists?”
Although the politicization of the Ie is not new, or unique to the far-right, the danger to it and its acceptability has never been so abundant. Mostly, this is because, for the first time in post-communist Romania, the far right almost narrowly acquired the presidency and holds a solid 30% of the seats in parliament. Romanian society is more polarized than ever, and as a joke I heard from my grandmother before the last elections said “100% of the population thinks that at least 50% of the population is voting wrong ,” so risking being associated with “the extremist enemy” for wearing an Ie is a big concern for many.
Now, the use of the Ie for political purposes is not a recent trend, with both fascists and communists having used it in the past, but this time, whether one wears an Ie or not is more political than ever.
In the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, “the legionaries, ” Romania’s own brand of fascism, made extensive use of mysticism, religion, and the Ie. Their leader, Corneliu Zelea Codreanu, would ride on a white horse, dressed in an Ie, holding a Bible. All his followers did the same, but this was not an issue of concern for the time, for a simple reason: most of Romania’s population wore a Ie daily, especially the rural population, totaling over 60% of the population.
The end of World War II brought communism to Romania, along with its first stage, Stalinism, which cracked down on traditional identity and discouraged the “old ways,” attempting to build a new, socialist urban human. Moreover, an aggressive and brutally efficient urbanization and industrialization process was carried out. The former peasants tried to blend in and become “more modern;” they tried not to stand out as outsiders, so they abandoned their Ie.
In the late 1970s and through the 1980s, Romania’s dictator, Ceaușescu, took inspiration from North Korea and adopted “National-communism,” a blend of nationalism, self-reliance, and isolationism, along with a revival of traditions, popular dances, and the wearing of the Ie, all as an expression of the belief in the exceptionality of Romania, especially its culture and strength.
Despite Romanians generally disliking the messaging and the forced nature of National Communism, 15 years of it has undoubtedly left traces in people’s minds, even if they don’t realise it.
Now, after 35 years of democracy, many people are dissatisfied with corruption, slow development, and other issues. Thus, the far right started exploiting the public’s reaction and is once again manipulating sensitive parts of the people’s psyche, blending the legionnaire’s mythical use of religion and traditions with Ceuașescu’s conspiracies of foreign agents that want to “steal our sovereignty,” all while using the Ie as their new uniform.
I believe that if this combination of extremists adopting the Ie, and people avoiding it out of fear of association with the far-right continues, the transformation of the Ie into a far-right symbol will be complete, and in 10 or 15 years from now, it will be more associated with politics than with culture.
The only solution I see to this process is quite simple: more non-nationalist Romanians wearing it, not out of nationalism, but out of opposition to it.
The fewer people who adopt a practice or piece of clothing, the more it will become associated with the few who stick to it; thus, it becomes unofficially theirs. The same is the case for the Ie, especially if it is adopted by a group to which people don’t want to be associated.
The bottom line is simple: the less “we” (the non-extremist Romanians) wear it, the more it will be associated with “them” (the far right), but they cannot rebrand their Ie as theirs unless we let them.
The Far Right can successfully hijack the Ie, only if we set it down first and let our fear of social stigma get the better of us. Someone cannot take something from you without you first backing away from it, and we need to realise this when dealing with the extremists and the Ie.
If a large number of Romanians renounce a central piece of their national identity, out of fear of discomfort, the nationalists will be the only ones left to claim those clothes.
This way, in 10 or 15 years, wearing the Ie will no longer come with the risk of being branded as an extremist, but with the certainty.
So let’s wear it now, let’s re-normalize it and integrate it into modern fashion, despite the fear of association with “them.” Hence, this is the only solution that will prevent wearing an Ie from turning into a radical political act.
Cover Image: AFP reports on how the scandal caused by Diana Şoşoacă unfolded in the European Parliament. https://www.news.ro/externe/afp-relateaza-cum-a-decurs-scandalul-provocat-de-diana-sosoaca-in-parlamentul-european-1922404018322024071421673116
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