In an effort to evade censorship, some live-stream fashion companies have substituted male models for women modeling their products. They’re doing this in response to the fact that the Chinese government is cracking down on lingerie modeling and censors online content that shows off women’s undergarments, especially those that are considered obscene.
The Changing Landscape of Chinese Censorship
Over the last several decades, China has developed a complex system of Internet censorship that allows only certain content to be viewed by users. The censorship process is carried out at different levels, including household networks, local business or residential networks, Internet service providers (ISPs) and regional or national gateways. It’s a process that is similar to Western filtering systems and that has received attention by the international media, governments and human rights activists.
Many of the Chinese Internet censorship rules, however, aren’t as straightforward or consistent as they might seem. Some of the censorship decisions seem to depend on where a Web site’s head office is located, who owns that website and what their personal values and agendas are.
For example, when we conducted tests with 15 BSPs, a large portion of the content censored by these BSPs was related to current events or breaking news. Topics included the poisoned milk powder case, local protests or clashes with police, explosions in Xinjiang and the knifing of tourists during Beijing’s Olympics.
Almost all of the censorship decisions were based on content that is political or controversial in nature. The most striking example of this is the recent decision by Chinese authorities to pull down a video about 2022. This video was a collation of real-life stories that had captivated social media users. The video was posted by a popular website called Netease, and it generated thousands of comments.
These comments criticized the censorship policy and the removal of this video, which is a prime example of how Chinese censorship can negatively impact ordinary citizens. In the past, a similar video would have been easily shared and enjoyed by Chinese users.
But with the current censorship policies, the video was blocked by most domestic Chinese social media platforms. Moreover, it was removed from YouTube and other websites in mainland China.
While many people believe that Chinese censorship is limited to news, the truth is that it affects all aspects of life in the country. As a rule, Chinese citizens cannot watch the mainstream Western media or read any articles that are critical of China or its leadership.
Some people argue that this is an unfair way to censor information and that China needs to be allowed more freedom of speech. But others say that this censorship is necessary for the survival of a free and open society, which China needs in order to develop and prosper.
The issue of China censoring women modeling have men modeling women clothing is an interesting one that deserves further investigation and analysis. Rest assured, we will delve further into this subject, and we warmly welcome any inquiries you may have. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us with your questions.
