Chinese streaming site mocked for censoring earrings on men

A Chinese video-streaming site earned the ire of its viewers for blurring out the bling on men’s earlobes.

Netizens on Weibo called out the site iQiyi for censoring earrings on male personalities, reported The Shanghaiist on Jan. 16.

Male celebrities’ ears in various programs, from dramas to variety shows, are blurred, Weibo users noted as they shared screenshots from the iQiyi. Women’s earrings, however, remained crystal clear.

One such case was in reality show “I Fiori Delle Sorelle” where male celebrities were shown working in a Florence flower shop.

Two male celebrities have their earlobes blurred in the reality show “I Fiori Delle Sorelle” which streams on iQiyi.  Image: iQiyi

The National Radio and Television Administration has not spoken on the censorship, as per the report.

One satellite TV network reportedly told ChinaNews that there were instructions that male artists could not have dyed hair and that close-ups of large earrings should be avoided.

Netizens have cried foul, noting that the act reeked of “gender stereotyping,” The Telegraph reported on Jan. 18.

“Who says men cannot have make-up, earrings and perfume? The most important thing we need to teach the young generation is tolerance,” a netizen was quoted by Inkstone News on Jan. 17.

Another netizen asked if women with short hair would need to have their heads blurred out.

Chinese singer and actor Jing Boran is known to wear studs on his ears. His earlobes have been blurred when he was on talent show “I, Actor” which began streaming on iQiyi last December.  Image: Instagram/@jingboran89

Femininity in men has been frowned upon, with Chinese state news agency Xinhua describing men with delicate features and who wear makeup as “young, fresh meat” who are “slender but weak” in an opinion piece last September.

In January 2018, China’s censorship body, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television banned tattoos and hip-hop culture from TV.  Niña V. Guno /ra

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