Weibo users are debating over a 52-second video in which Chinese actress Liu Yan was grabbed by several men who try to throw her into the swimming pool. The clip was taken on March 30 in Bali, Indonesia, at the wedding of Chinese actor Bao Beier.
Liu was a bridesmaid at the wedding. The groomsmen, who were also celebrities, did not succeed in throwing her in the pool because another bridesmaid stopped the men and chided them. Someone posted the video online and netizens reacted to the incident, reported Global Times.
Luo Ruxue, from the Guangzhou-based women’s right NGO Women Awakening Network, considered what happened to the celebrity bridesmaid sexual violation. But ironically, two days after the wedding, Liu posted another video on Weibo where she apologized to the groom for creating confusion.
Liu’s apology only made the topic hotter. A university professor said she should not have said sorry because she did nothing wrong. A gender health educator noted that the actress’s apology was in response to social media pressure, but said it is up to Liu to determine herself if she was sexually violated by the groomsmen or not.
Pranks on Chinese men and women about to get married are becoming more common with some on the pranks bordering on flirting or sexual harassment. These including touching the bridesmaids inappropriately or telling them lewd jokes.
In some instances, it could even be worse such as two separate incidents in 2013 when a Zhejiang bridesmaid was raped by two groomsmen and a Shandong bridesmaid was stripped and groped by 10 men. Live Leak posted a video of a bridesmaid whom wedding guests teased by showing her pubic hair at the wedding party.
Although bridesmaid-teasing is relatively new in China since the concept of a bridesmaid in a wedding is a western one, an iNewsweek survey on Monday said that 20 percent of almost 2,000 Chinese netizens admitted it happened also in their towns.
Luo said the custom reflects only Chinese society where men collectively harass women. But some netizens placed the blame of Lui for showing too much of her body, while Luo pointed out the act was illegal.