‘Freedom to dress’: Chinese student taunted by text for not wearing a bra by food delivery worker sparks sexual harassment probe
- Story about student without bra read by 70 million on Weibo, gets more than 10,000 comments
- Food delivery firm launches investigation into ‘prostitute’ jibe and potential severe breach of acceptable behaviour
A university student in China who was sexually harassed for not wearing a bra by a food delivery driver has sparked a heated discussion about women’s clothing choices on mainland social media.
On June 17, the student from Chengdu, Sichuan province, southwestern China complained to the food delivery platform the driver works for that she received a “series of disgusting messages” from the worker about her clothing, Star Video reported.
The woman, who was wearing a vest and a cardigan but no bra when she received the delivery, said that the messages arrived when she was on the way back to her dormitory.
It quickly became clear that the sender was the delivery driver she had just met.
“You don’t even wear a bra,” the first message read.
“It’s my freedom of choice,” replied the student, who was not identified.
The delivery worker then asked: “Is it appropriate? Are you a student?” to which the woman replied: “What’s the problem with being a student?”
Then the delivery worker said: “I am just wondering if there are any students at your school who work as prostitutes.”
A customer service employee at the platform said they would investigate the case as harassment by text messages like this was a “gross issue” for delivery workers.
“This man is a potential pervert and a criminal. Is there any sister who can tell me how to make the delivery platform punish him fast? It’s so disgusting!” the student wrote on mainland social media.
Her complaint has since become a trending topic online, with 70 million reads on Weibo and more than 10,000 comments at the time of writing, with many people supporting the student.
One person said: “No law says a woman must wear a bra. What’s more, did this woman wear nothing? No, she wore two clothing items. It is wrong for the delivery worker to stare at her chest.”
Another person said: “It’s vicious that he asked her if there were any prostitutes at her school. I support a severe punishment for him.”
But some people took a different view.
“This is weird. Can you be dressed properly when collecting food? It’s basic respect for others and yourself,” one person said.
“If a woman lets others easily notice she does not wear a bra, she might be trying to seduce him,” another person claimed.
It is not the first time a woman’s attire has caused controversy on mainland social media.
Earlier this month, a female tour guide in northeastern Liaoning province was accused of engaging in pornographic marketing for wearing tight-fitting pants.
In May, Chinese actress Gulnazar was attacked for her “vulgar style” for wearing jeans which exposed her underwear. She defended herself by saying she did not think anything was wrong with her trousers and encouraged the public to wear what they liked.
