Making fun of men in China comes at a cost

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. As content focused on women is becoming increasingly popular in China, it is also drawing flack from men—and causing headaches for Chinese companies. Last month, e-commerce giant JD.com cut ties with the female comedian Yang Li after a promotional campaign triggered intense backlash from male customers, including some who threatened to stop shopping on the app.

At the heart of their criticism appears to be Yang’s mildly sarcastic poke at men in a 2020 routine, where she asked: “Why are men so mediocre and yet so confident?" The quip was the target of a backlash before. Four years later, it still stings. “Promoting a female comedian? I’ve already uninstalled the app," one user wrote on popular Chinese social-media platform Weibo.

A nationalist influencer, who uses the handle “God’s Eagle" and has more than two million followers on Weibo, on Oct. 21 reposted two photos of Yang that she had posted, with a caption: “She is clearly so ordinary but so confident." Hundreds of followers attacked Yang’s appearance in the comment section. The joke has haunted Yang’s career; in 2021, she lost an advertising deal with Intel after a similar backlash.

At the time, Intel told a Shanghai-based publication the controversy had surprised it and that diversity and inclusion were a part of its company culture. In 2022, male consumers flooded Shede Spirits’ social-media accounts after Yang appeared in an interview sponsored by the liquor brand. The company clarified on an investor-relations platform that it had no commercial collaboration with Yang.