China Cracks Down On Cleavage Exposure At Cosplay Convention

Organizers of Asia’s largest digital entertainment expo — where scantily clad models usually dress up as characters from comic books, movies and video games — say they will levy a fine of $800 on women who reveal “more than two centimeters of cleavage.” CNN was there:

Men are not exempt from the crackdown on exposed flesh. They will face the same penalty if they wear low-hanging pants or expose their underwear. If models are caught dancing in cages or around a pole they will be fined a whopping $1,600, as will anyone caught striking vulgar poses.

It’s the latest example of what appears to be a government campaign for stricter morality in China. This year’s Shanghai Auto Show banned “car babes” — scantily clad models who in previous years had posed provocatively on car hoods to draw crowds. And in December, government censors pulled a historical TV show off air for the ample cleavage it featured.

“The Empress of China” depicted the life of the only woman to rule China. Her reign was during the seventh century Tang dynasty — when an ample female bosom was the prevailing aesthetic. When the series returned to air, the cleavage was gone. Instead, viewers saw crudely edited scenes where women were only shown in close-up to avoid revealing their chests.

New Silk Road, one of China’s biggest model agencies that said it provided showgirls to ChinaJoy and vetted other model agencies used by the show, confirmed the new regulations to CNN. Yang Ou, a spokesperson for New Silk Road, said it set the rules.