#trending: Angry China netizens say S'pore waxing chain 'belittles' women by using orangutan in hair removal ads

SHANGHAI, CHINA — Singapore hair removal chain Strip: Ministry of Wax has come under fire in China for implying that women who do not remove their body hair are like orangutans.

The firm's advertisements featuring photos of hairy orangutans juxtaposed against attractive human models made the rounds of Chinese social media earlier this month, incurring the wrath of those using the popular platforms Weibo and Douyin. 

A video report detailing the backlash by Chinese media Xinhao Caijing last Saturday (Feb 4), received 1.8 million views within four days.

The offending advertisement was spotted by online users at Xin Tian Di Plaza in Shanghai, China, one of the four Strip outlets in Shanghai, reported Xinhao Caijing.

In one ad, a dejected-looking orangutan stands beside a door, while a hairless woman poses confidently on the other side wearing a dress identical to the orangutan.

In another, an orangutan cannonballs into a lake alongside two attractive, bikini-clad models, in an image apparently intended to highlight the stark contrast between the two in a manner favourable to the models.

“I have already reported the business as inappropriate,” one social media user commented. “By portraying unshaven women as orangutans, this company is belittling and objectifying women for business and causing body anxiety (amongst women).” 

Similar images have been used in Singapore over recent years, apparently without any negative reaction.

The picture of the bikini-clad models and the orangutan jumping into the water was still the main profile picture on the firm's Instagram page on Tuesday (Feb 7) afternoon.

Indeed, at least some Twitter users here have praised the advertising campaign as "iconic".

An employee from Strip Shanghai confirmed that the posters were supplied from the company’s headquarters in Singapore, reported Hong Kong daily South Morning China Post.

“The orangutan represents a person with more body hair,” an anonymous employee from Strip Shanghai told Xinhao Caijing.

“If you don’t undergo hair removal, you will look like an orangutan. After hair removal, you become more beautiful,” the employee added. 

“As we could not use hairier individuals for the ad, we could only use an animal instead.”

Strip Singapore has disputed the interview given by the anonymous employee from Strip Shanghai. The brand called the conversation "most abnormal" and told TODAY that it may have been fabricated and is most likely to be untrue.

BACKLASH ON CHINESE INTERNET

Weibo users expressed unhappiness over the portrayal of women in the ads. 

“Advertisements for shops with female clientele but cause women discomfort…[hope they] go out of business as soon as possible,” said one commenter.

Another called into question the literal accuracy of the portrayal: “Are they sick? Asians aren’t so hairy.”

Online users also questioned the need for hair removal: “Why do boys not need hair removal, but girls are shunned because of armpit hair, isn't it the natural growth of the human body?”

China Women’s Newspaper, the official newspaper of the All-China Women’s Federation, has also voiced its disapproval at the ads in a Weibo post last Friday (Feb 3). All-China Women’s Federation is a state-sponsored organisation representing woman's interests and promoting gender equality in China.

“Regardless of gender, how can consumers trust such a business when marketing cannot even give the most basic form of respect?” said the newspaper.

ORANGUTAN INSPIRED BY SINGAPORE TOURISM ICON

Strip said in a statement that the company has been using an orangutan as its mascot since its inception in 2002. The waxing boutique was established in Singapore and has since expanded to major cities in Asia, including Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Manila and Bangkok. The first Strip outlet in Shanghai opened in late 2009.

Speaking to TODAY, the brand called the backlash towards the ads a "misinterpretation of the brand’s campaign visual".

"Some netizens may have drawn some wrong conclusions from our use of the image of an orangutan. Our mascot was inspired by the beloved tourism icon of Singapore and has been present since the brand started 20 years ago," said the company in a press release. 

Ah Meng, a female Sumatran orangutan from the Singapore Zoo, was a tourism icon of Singapore until its death in 2008. 

The brand also emphasised its use of humour for advertising and advocacy of female empowerment.

"Strip was created with the aim for women to be completely body confident.

"By using inventive, humorous advertising and marketing campaigns, (Strip) injects a dose of humour and fun into both the message and the actual waxing treatments, taking the embarrassment out of this sensitive subject," said the company.

In response to the backlash, Strip Shanghai told Xinhao Caijing that it has reported the issue back to its Singapore headquarters. 

Strip Singapore told TODAY that the orangutan image will be removed from current and upcoming campaign visuals in China to avoid further "misunderstandings".