Tuesday Tanlines

AS News, Pharmacist on tanning: “When we’re tanned, we look more attractive for two reasons, neither of which is related to health”

The first is simple: it’s an optical effect. Darker tones hide imperfections more effectively, making the skin look smoother and more uniform, he says.

The second reason is sociocultural. Centuries ago, pale skin was a symbol of privilege, meaning a person didn’t have to work outdoors. Guille points out historical examples, from the idea of “blue blood” in Europe to cultures in Asia where fairness is still considered the beauty standard. On the flip side, in some countries a tan became a status symbol, showing someone could afford vacations and had the luxury of spending time in the sun.

On the other hand, I've been told that in some Chinese cultures, high status women scrupulously avoid tans because to have a tan indicates you are likely a peasant who has to toil in the sun.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Monday: Boots & Bikinis up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Popular Chinese Actress Runs Afoul of "Social Credit" System

Chinese actress, 39, is BANNED from leaving the country as she tries to board her plane after she was declared 'untrustworthy' by Beijing's controversial 'social credit' system

A well-known actress and former international beauty queen has been banned from travelling out of China after being deemed 'untrustworthy' by the country's social credit system.

China-born, U.S.-raised Michelle Ye Xuan, 39, only found out about the travel restriction against her when she was about to board a plane in Beijing last month.

Ms Ye, who won the Miss Chinese International competition at the age of 19, had failed to follow a court order from last year after being found guilty of defaming her then boyfriend's ex-girlfriend on social media.

 It's generally a mistake to flout court orders.

Ms Ye, who grew up in Hangzhou and New York, is the first high-profile figure to be punished by Beijing's controversial social credit system, which rates citizens based on their daily behaviour and punishes 'untrustworthy' people in as many ways as possible.

Millions of offenders have been penalised since the national system was rolled out in selective cities in 2014.

Having appeared in dozens of mainstream TV shows and films in both Hong Kong and mainland China, Ms Ye is hailed by her fans for her 'classic Chinese beauty' appearance and enviable upbringing in the United States since the age of 10.

She studied in liberal arts institution Wellesley College in Massachusetts, according to information on her verified Weibo account.

So she grew up in the US. No wonder she's under the illusion that she was free. She probably heard at Wellesly that China was freer than the US.

According to a court statement, Ms Ye failed to meet the court's order by the deadline of August. Ms Lv then filed a request to the court for an injunction in September, and Ms Ye failed to answer the subpoena.

The court said it then put a restriction on Ms Ye's ability to spend money in China - which the court said the star later broke - and attempted to contact her repeatedly, but the actress did not respond.

As a result, she was blacklisted by the court and banned from leaving the country last December.

I can just see progressives aching to institute a social credit system in the US.

A judge of the Shanghai Xuhui Court was immediately notified. The judge contacted Ms Ye, urging her to carry out her legal duty.

The court said Ms Ye agreed to do so at once. She deleted the required posts from her social media while still at the airport and handed the required apology to the court by noon.

Ms Ye was also fined 80,000 yuan (£9,000) for her behaviour.

 Sounds a little steep, but that's what happens when you ignore them the first time.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Alita – Battle Angel ready and waiting at The Other McCain.

It's Worth a Try, I Suppose

For women, I mean. Goodness knows I don't need it.  From "Tyler Durnden" at Zero Hedge, Does Coconut Milk Make Women's Breasts Bigger? Chinese Ads Say 'Yes'

A Chinese coconut milk manufacturer says that its beverage will make a woman's breasts grow bigger. The company, Coconut Palm, has spent several years promoting this claim in a series of "tone-deaf" advertisements that offer no evidence to support their claims - causing many to voice their doubts.

While their 2019 pitch features big breasted women on the drink's distinctive black packaging, a 2017 ad featuring scantily clad women folicking in the ocean recommends that women "drink one can every day, [your] curves will excite people, whiter and more plump," and "drinking more coconut milk every day can make [your] breasts fuller," reports the South China Morning Post.
. . .
Our extensive research for this totally legitimate article also turned up no scientific evidence of breast-enhancing qualities linked to coconut milk.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Ski Bunnies! up and ready for action.

Chinese Blogger Censored for Historical Insight

China’s controversial love guru Ayawawa suspended on Weibo over ‘comfort women’ comments

A controversial love-advice blogger has been banned from China’s largest social network for saying Chinese “comfort women” possessed a “gender advantage” over men that boosted their chances of coming out of the second world war alive.

Popular online relationship guru Yang Bingyang, better known as Ayawawa, had her account on Weibo, China's version of Twitter, frozen for six months after her offline comments.

After Chinese love guru’s ‘comfort women’ gaffe, three relationship tips she gives that show how unusual her world view is Yang told participants in one of her offline “emotional training” workshops that the women used as sex slaves by the Japanese army during the war exemplified the “natural gender advantage” women possessed over men.

“Were the comfort women miserable?” she said during her workshop. “Have you thought that the men were in fact worse-off than the women? They were shot dead but the women survived.”

That's harsh. True. But harsh.

Yang, who has 3 million Weibo followers, told the workshop’s participants that during the war, these women – known as “comfort women” – survived by using their gender advantage against their male tormentors.

“You see, women have a natural gender advantage even during war,” Yang was quoted as saying in online news portal Qq.com. “All sorts of benefits will come your way without stop, if you play your gender advantage well.”

After Yang’s reported remarks triggered a firestorm across social media, the 35-year-old internet celebrity apologised for causing the uproar.

She pleaded that, as a relationship blogger, she was ignorant of political and military matters and promised to stop updating her Weibo account for a month.

But she later deleted the apology. She had set her account to private before she was slapped with the half-year ban shortly after noon on Tuesday for causing what Weibo called “severe adverse effects on society”.

Thanks to Ann Alhouse for introducing me to "Ayawawa" through this post: "Yang [Bingyang] has developed a panoply of pseudoscientific theories that she claims are guaranteed secrets to success in the marriage market."

Most of her advice equates happy marriages with material comfort.... Yang advises women to dress and act conservatively so that their male partners don’t feel insecure or threatened by perceived public displays of sexuality. She also says that women should not aspire toward conventionally attractive husbands... She encourages women to find themselves a man who will buy them a home and spend money on them. In her world, a man’s wealth and drive outweigh the need for him to be attractive and kind....

Wombat-socho has "Rule 5 Sunday: Girls In The Desert" and "FMJRA 2.0: Desert Plains" up and running.

Chinese Chicken Dance

Wombat-socho has the father of all Rule 5 posts, "Rule 5 Sunday: Ton O’ Luv" ready at The Other McCain.