China puts ‘effeminate ban’ on idols in trouble

BEIJING: China has always held an iron fist on its entertainment industry. After the K-pop ban came the variety show ban, and now, it has come to banning its own idols.

According to an industry insider, the state has put an “effeminate ban” on the entertainment industry, which limits “effeminate” celebrities from making appearances on TV, concerts, or other public appearances. As there is no official written description of what constitutes as an “effeminate” person, it’s become common knowledge that China’s very own “little fresh meat” idols, such as the boy bands Nine Percent and TFBOYS, are part of this “effeminate ban.”

Nine Percent, which was originally confirmed to make an appearance at a mid-autumn festival performance, was suddenly pulled from the list, leading to speculation that it was either from the ban or because of member Fan Chengcheng, Fan Bingbing’s younger brother.

This ban will affect many idols and bands, including actors Li Yifeng and William Chan, both who are known for their “little fresh meat” looks, despite being in their thirties.

Some known celebrities seem to agree with the ban, as they have once criticised China’s recent trend on promoting effeminate-looking idols. There is Nicholas Tse, who once said on the show Sing! China, “Men should be more manly. Men should have the hormones of a man.” Wu Jing, star of China’s highest- grossing film Wolf Warrior , once jokingly said he didn’t know if the K-pop band EXO was “a boy group or a girl group.”

Taiwanese singer-actress Annie Yi, on the other hand, did not agree with her peers. In a Weibo post, she stressed that everyone should learn to respect and accept others for who they are. She wrote, “To all the oily men who think they’re not effeminate but are actually in terminal cancer, please open your eyes and look at the world. Stop living in your own world thinking you’re the emperor.”