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What is the true measure of a real woman? For young and tech savvy Chinese women, it is the ability to tuck in a pen or similar object under their breast without it falling down. Nothing should be used to keep the pen from falling.
The trend actually started in Japan, but Chinese women soon followed that it has become a trending topic in Chinese social media with thousands of women participating and the topic getting more than 1.24 million views, reported Huanqui. According to the affiliate of People’s Daily Online, the posters of such photos use the hashtag #Carrypenunderbreast.
The challenge aims to prove that those who post such photos are real women as opposed to transgender women whose surgically enhanced breasts may not be able to perform such feat. Besides pens, the Chinese women also use bigger items such as water bottles and makeup brushes.
The first post on Weibo, China’s most popular microblogging site, was on Jan. 6. Other hashtags used include “onlyarealwomancandothis” and “newstandardforagoddess” to indicate that body image is important to Chinese women.
The challenge proved to be frustrating for some women not so blessed with large baby-feeders, such as Weibo user Ai Tian Yi Sheng, who asked, “I can’t do it, does it mean I’m not a woman?”
To escape censure from China’s strict censor, only the lower part of the breast is shown, not the entire chest area. Also, the women are not topless but have an upper garment which they just lift up a bit to do the challenge.
The selfie is often accompanied by the caption, “Pass the challenge to prove you’re a true woman” which explains why the topic keeps on spreading further, reported Mirror.
Other online trends to hit China’s social media, still related to body image issues, include placing a coin on their collarbones as proof they have a sexy figure and reaching their belly buttons and breasts with their hands from behind their backs.
For Bin Chun Hu Die Fei, who failed the previous sexiness challenge, the pen challenge was a big relief. She wrote, “I can’t touch my belly button from my back, nor can I hold an egg on my collarbone, that means I’m a fat person. Luckily, this trend saved me.”
