Men as Lingerie Models to Bypass China’s Censorship Policy.
His modeling performance is the most recent example of the entrepreneurial ingenuity sometimes required to circumvent China’s stringent internet censorship, which can ensnare seemingly harmless activities – in this case, online retailers selling women’s underwear.
China employs one of the strictest censorship regimes in the world, with a history of blocking not only politically sensitive information but also images of women’s bodies deemed marginally racy.
Several businesses specializing in the sale of lingerie via live streaming have had their sessions terminated after they featured a female model and their brush with internet censorship became public knowledge in January.
Consequently, men are used instead.
On one of the sales channels, a man wearing black lingerie can be seen standing next to a mannequin wearing a similar outfit, in what appears to be a screenshot of a live stream broadcast on Alibaba (BABATaobao )’s Live, the e-commerce giant’s streaming service.
In a different photograph, a different male model wore a pink slip dress and a silky shawl with cat ear headbands.
In a livestream clip that was carried out by multiple state media outlets, the proprietor of an online business stated that he was simply attempting to play it safe.
“This is not intended to be sarcastic. “Everyone is taking compliance with the rules very seriously,” said the man, who identified himself as Mr. Xu.
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Male lingerie models have been met with a range of reactions online in China, from amusement and irritation to reluctance and acceptance.
“However, what should I do if I wish to promote and display lingerie during the live broadcast session? Find a man to wear it,” read one comment on the Chinese microblogging site Weibo.
In mainland China, the live streaming of product sales is a multi-billion-dollar industry that received a major boost during the three years of the country’s strict Covid lockdowns, which devastated many brick-and-mortar businesses.
According to the Academy of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, a body affiliated with Beijing’s commerce ministry, the number of live streaming e-commerce users in mainland China surpassed 460 million in June of last year.
iResearch, a Beijing-based firm that specializes in measuring online audience growth, predicted in a 2021 report that the livestream industry would be worth as much as $720 billion this year.
Male models are not the only alternative option.
On Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, other female models have circumvented the censorship by displaying the newest styles of lingerie over a t-shirt.
In 2015, China led a crackdown on television programs that exposed actresses’ cleavage, compelling some of the most popular costume dramas to zoom in on the actresses’ faces to avoid trouble with the broadcast authorities.
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Male influencers promoting female-oriented products is not a novel concept in China.
Austin Li Jiaqi is one of the most successful livestream shopping influencers in the industry. In 2018, he became known as the “Lipstick King” after selling 15,000 lipsticks in just five minutes.
As one of China’s most prominent internet celebrities, Li also sells cosmetics, skincare products, and fashion apparel, frequently applying them to his face.
Even outside of China, platforms like Facebook and Instagram have been criticized for restricting the sharing of images depicting women in partial nudity.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, restricts the sharing of breast images, although it intends to “allow images that are shared for medical or health purposes.” However, even Meta’s own Oversight Board has requested that the company make its policy less confusing and more gender-inclusive.
YouTube prohibits “the depiction of clothed or unclothed genitals, breasts, or buttocks that are intended for sexual gratification,” but it may impose age restrictions on other nudity-related images or videos.
