Viral videos on Chinese social media sites showed male models wearing a variety of lingerie styles.
Today, we have a story that is causing quite a stir on Chinese social media sites. In response to China's ban on female models showcasing undergarments online, Chinese livestream fashion companies have adopted a new approach by featuring male models in their videos. That's right, men are now modelling lingerie!
Livestreams featuring female models wearing lingerie have had a history of being promptly shut down and banned as a result of the country's law against spreading obscene material online. But some of these companies have found a way around this ban by hiring male models to flaunt women's lingerie, including tight-fitting corsets and lace-trimmed nightgowns. And it's not just the lingerie that's catching people's attention, the male models are causing quite a stir as well.
Videos of these male models wearing a variety of lingerie styles have gone viral on Douyin, China's version of TikTok. One video even showed a male model wearing a silk robe with the caption, "The light and luxurious boudoir of the wife and adults." The clip garnered over 2,000 likes and a flood of comments, with internet users quick to share their opinion on the gender-bending decision.
Some users felt that the male models were taking away job opportunities from female models, but others thought that the male models wore the lingerie better than the females would have. One user wrote, "Not all heroes wear capes," while another user commented, "This is like when women weren't allowed to perform in commercial plays in Shakespearean times, so men performed the women roles instead."
Mr Xu, who owns a livestream business, defended the decision to use male models, stating that the designs couldn't be modelled by female colleagues. He also pointed out that many directors of these livestreams are women, so it's not just men taking away job opportunities from women.
It's unclear how long this loophole will continue to work as China is reportedly cracking down on "effeminate" depictions of men in the media. But for now, male models are taking center stage in the world of lingerie modelling in China. Stay tuned to CNNBC for more updates on this developing story.
