In the early 1960s, Madame Nhu popularized a tight-fitting version of the traditional áo dài (long dress) that was considered controversial in its day, due to its tight fit and low-cut neckline. According to Boi Tran Huynh, a scholar of Vietnamese visual arts, “To foreigners, this collar made sense, given the tropical conditions, but conservatives saw it as too suggestive for Vietnamese women.”