Weibo is an excellent mirror to Chinese society, reflecting how some people, especially men behave with respect to women. The hashtag, “#Man Caught Filming Beauty Salon Staff in Public Restroom, Staff Successfully Recorded the Incident Process,” garnered a staggering 27 million views and then abruptly vanished from the public eye (June 22), suggesting government censors had stepped in and yanked it off. .
The story goes that a man was caught red-handed secretly taking pictures of a woman inside a public restroom. The woman spotted the man but before she could do anything he fled the scene. Female netizens claim “He recorded the video and sold it for money.”
This is not the first time that such incidents have been reported in China. Sexual harassment, such as groping and upskirting, has long been a problem for female commuters in major cities. Domestic violence is also rampant, witness the video of a woman being dragged by her husband that went viral on Weibo on June 23. The hashtag #Woman Dragged by Her Husband received approximately 140 million views on Weibo. Many netizens were seen posting comments like “Marriages are risky” beneath this hashtag. Yet it did not figure in Weibo’s top trending charts
On June 14, another incident occurred at Hebei Normal University, where a boy disguised as a girl, entered a women’s bathroom and covertly took pictures of women using the facility. He was caught and turned over to the police. The video of his capture gained immense popularity on Douyin, China’s popular social media platform similar to TikTok.
A similar incident occurred on June 14 at the South Campus of Zhengzhou University, where a man disguised as a woman entered the women’s bathroom to take pictures. However, the girls confronted him and had him delete whatever pictures he had taken. The entire encounter was recorded on video and swiftly circulated on Douyin.
May 2023
A brief video capturing a co-pilot of Xiamen Airlines secretly filming in a women’s restroom on May 19, trended on Weibo with some users saying they would boycott the airline. The police confirmed the detention of the co-pilot (picture below).
On June 18 the video of a drunken man molesting a metro attendant went viral on Chinese social media platforms (picture below)
A netizen on Weibo recently unveiled the existence of a group where members shared pictures of girls taken secretly. It underscored a culture where rights of girls and women were routinely violated, they were objectified and harassed.
In a troubling case dating back to Nov. 2022, a nurse working in the Yangtze River Delta region discovered that she had been secretly filmed by someone with a mobile phone while using the restroom.
In May 2022, the hashtag, #hope girl child can grow safely, gained traction on Weibo, reflecting the concerns surrounding the safety and well-being of young girls. The COVID-19 lockdowns also exposed women to increased domestic violence. In response, feminist activists on Weibo launched hashtags like “#她能” (#SheCan), “#看见女性劳动者” (#SeeingWomenWorkers), and “#逆行中的她们” (#HeroinesinHarmsWay) to empower women. These hashtags aimed to counter the prevailing narrative that belittled women’s efforts in combating the pandemic.
It is widely believed that China’s declining rate of marriage has much to do with how the Chinese male views women. It is important for China to address these internal problems and prioritize women’s safety. By doing so, China can create a safer environment for its own women and work towards positive change.
