"Why Does It Look Like This?" Even a Female Model on Her Knees... Lipstick Causing a Stir in China

Chinese Influencer Sparks Controversy Over "Obscene" Criticism
Local Netizens Say "Thought It Was an Adult Toy Advertisement"

Problematic lipstick advertisement photo. [Photo by SCMP capture]

A Chinese cosmetics company is facing criticism for releasing a lipstick that resembles the shape of a male genital organ. The controversy is particularly fueled by the use of an advertisement featuring a female model kneeling next to the lipstick image.

On the 9th, according to the Hong Kong media outlet South China Morning Post (SCMP), the Chinese cosmetics company ‘Florte (FLORTTE)’ recently unveiled a new lipstick advertisement poster. In the ad, a female model is shown kneeling beside the lipstick image. The lipstick product, designed in a heart shape, has sparked controversy for its resemblance to a male genital organ.

The controversy escalated after a famous influencer with about 5 million followers, ‘Bunny Class,’ pointed out on their social media that the product was "too obscene." Furthermore, the lipstick color names?‘Kiss Little Zhu Zhu,’ ‘Kiss Nei Nei,’ ‘Kiss Cherry,’ and ‘Kiss Mimi’?added fuel to the fire. The words ‘Zhu Zhu,’ ‘Nei Nei,’ ‘Cherry,’ and ‘Mimi’ are Chinese colloquial terms referring to male and female genitalia.

Criticism also arose regarding the objectification of women. Feng Yuan, co-founder of the Beijing-based gender equality NGO ‘Equality,’ criticized, “Mocking women as sexual objects for male pleasure can instead provoke hatred, anger, and resistance among women, potentially leading to boycotts of the product.”

Local netizens also flooded with critical comments such as, “I thought it was an adult product advertisement,” “I wonder whose idea this was,” “Who would want to put a genital-shaped lipstick on their lips?” “I won’t buy anything from this brand,” and “It’s too obscene.”

As the controversy intensified, the company stated, “Our customer service team is currently unaware of this issue and will forward it to experts for verification.”

Meanwhile, the lipstick is priced at 45 yuan (about 8,500 won), and approximately 30,000 units have been sold so far.