The ao dai is a Vietnamese national outfit primarily for women. In its current form, it is a tight-fitting silk tunic worn over pantaloons. The dress was extremely popular in South Vietnam in the 1960s and early 1970s. The communists, who have ruled Vietnam since 1975, disapproved of the dress and favored frugal, androgynous styles.[3] In the 1990s, the ao dai regained popularity.[3] The equivalent garment for men, called an ao am ("brocade robe"), is also worn on occasion, such as during Tết, at weddings or death anniversaries. Today however, the ao gấm is most frequently worn by old men. Academic commentary on the ao dai emphasizes the way the dress ties feminine beauty to Vietnamese nationalism, especially in the form of "Miss Ao Dai" pageants, popular both among overseas Vietnamese and in Vietnam itself.[4] "Ao dai" is one of the few Vietnamese words that appear in English-language dictionaries.