China scandal over ad encouraging women to stop wearing make-up on transport

Attention to all those who save a few precious minutes in the morning by putting on makeup in transport. According to China Railways, blowing your nose or any other beauty gesture can be rude to other passengers.

At least, that’s the point of its latest commercial, which is aimed at condemning indecency in transport. So grounding will be just as unpleasant as talking too loudly or leaving litter.

In the video, we discover a young woman who sits down and begins to remove her makeup accessories to work on her face. Until his neighbor, scattering dust, calls to him. Clearly, the message conveyed quickly sparked a backlash, particularly on the Chinese social network Weibo, where many condemned the hypocrisy of society, citing the fact that people wear make-up but don’t at home.

Admittedly, we might wonder how important it is to inform travelers about details such as makeup when women are regularly the victims of inappropriate behavior and even sexual harassment on trains. Thus, in July 2023, Courrier International mentioned in an article a paid option to have a seat in an all-female carriage in China to offer a safe environment for female passengers. The service was available for only one week. the fact that it was a paid add-on was heavily criticized. But it showed a real underlying problem, far more serious than a smear of makeup on a suit.