Chinese stand-up star Li Dan fined for sexist women's underwear ad

Chinese stand-up comedian Li Dan was fined for a women's underwear ad for Ubras as it was deemed vulgar and insulting to women's dignity, according to multiple media reports.  In a report form Chinese state media Global Times, Li was fined for more than ¥870,000 (US$ 134,517) for an ad for women's underwear that was insulting to women, which violated China's Advertising Law.

It said that on February 24, Li published a video on his account on Weibo for Beijing-based underwear brand Ubras, in which he said that underwear is "equipment that can help women win by lying at the workplace."

However, the ad sparked anger among the public, and both Li and Ubras pulled the ad and apologised on Weibo, saying that the promotion was improper. He added, "I should have expected the impact it would have."

The post drew firm from netizens in China, criticising that he was a sexist. 

According to the official WeChat account of the Administration for Market Regulation in Beijing's Haidian district, the ad was discriminatory against working women, as well as "vulgar and insulting to women's dignity". Apart from the content, Li was also in violation of endorsing a product that he had not used himself.  The Standard said Li didn't get paid for the advertisement, and concluded that he took advantage of his fame to promote the products without having the experience of using them.

The brand also apologised on Weibo on late Wednesday, saying that they had removed all related content. It explained that its original intention was to express the idea that their products were comfortable, and it can help women face tiredness in work and daily life.  The brand also said in the future, it will create and review promotional content with more care. 

Global Times cited some criticism from the public. For example, one of them said, "They knew what impact the slogan would have, but they still decided to post it to catch the public's attention. It's disgusting," Jun Yixiao, a woman who works in Beijing. 



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