Our Violent Ends

Fashion, particularly makeup and hairstyles, recurs as a motif in Our Violent Ends. Though sometimes considered frivolous, style functions for Juliette as a means of expressing her real self, often in opposition to what is expected of her, though not in a way that limits her potential as a dangerous gangster heir. In Chapter 5, for example, Lady Cai enters Juliette’s room to invite her daughter and Kathleen to go shopping for a new Chinese qipao—she doesn’t think that Juliette, who prefers American-style dresses, has enough traditional Chinese attire. Juliette demurs, and her mother leaves the cousins to their activity: Tracking worker strikes using cosmetics to hold maps in place and mark locations. “The fate of the city rests upon your lipstick. The irony is not lost on me, Juliette,” Kathleen comments (60). Our Violent Ends suggests there is no conflict between dressy, feminine style and skill in combat. Indeed, Chloe Gong suggests there is an overlap and that fashion can be used as a weapon itself. Femininity, for Juliette, is as much a matter of personal expression as personal defense. Throughout the book, she hides her identity when necessary and uses her reputation as someone who prefers American style to travel incognito.