5 Examples of How Sex Sells (or Doesn’t) in Asia (NSFW)
By all means, power to the nudists. Liberation and objectification are, unfortunately, often conflated in our commercial culture. In light of Ms. Flora Cheung’s recent decision to cook naked for Hong Kong cable viewers, we present six other recent, scandalous examples of how sex sells in Asian media.
You decide who’s right:
5. Beauty Pageant Contestants Go Topless
Some may say there’s a fine line between beautiful and pornographic. In recent years, beauty queens of more socially conservative Asian countries have challenged that delineation. When Miss Vietnam 2006 Mai Phuong Thuy (pictured above) announced she would be staging an exhibition featuring 100 “nude” photographs of herself, she defended herself by claiming that the images would be “in keeping with Vietnamese culture and tradition…[the nudity] very Vietnamese and nothing extreme.”
Though nudity isn’t banned in Vietnamese media, pornography is considered a “social evil” and strictly illegal. In one case, a woman showed 20 pornographic tapes at a cafe in southern Vietnam and was jailed for three years. The response online seemed to vary widely in tone, from lewd acceptance to outrage:
asean.asia (on AsiaFinest.com):
She’ll lose the traditional audiences and attract the prevert (sic) audiences.
Miss Universe, Miss Vietnam, Miss whatever will become an event to lure porn/nude stars, and loses it purpose to show the beauty of Vietnamese women.
If she doesn’t respect herself, why expect others to respect her.
Just look at Tila Nguyen. Do you think people have the respect for her, or look down on her.
With that said, I’ll side with the conservatives.
Lucy Nga Than (on Facebook.com):
What are these photos. They are acceptable once they are suitable for the purpose of the pics. Recently she appears too much on some online newspaper with the appearance of high school girls (sexy like a high school girl with cheap accessories, mediocre style). She didn’t show any persistent style in any kind of fashion.
I’m so sad of her image recently. However, I still admire her in some aspects.
3chaisayluon (on zing.vn)
Then just shoot away!. I’ll definitely watch
Turned out the images mostly consisted of Mai Phuong Thuy semi-naked under sheer cloth. She would later auction one of the risque images for charity — perhaps redeeming her in the eyes of a disapproving public?
More recently, Japan’s Maiko Itai (pictured above) is another Asian beauty queen to receive flak for showing skin. A close runner-up in our list of contestants to watch out for, Ms. Itai was one of three contestants who decided to pose topless with body paint in last year’s Miss Universe pageant. Again, the mob had both its provocative detractors and supporters:
someothergaijin (on 3yen.com):
Body paint. Topless. Fuckme pumps. Grrreat!
Kodzina (on inesligron.com):
Knowing that she is going to win!! Love her and great video!!!!
Certainly, beauty pageants are often the stomping ground for critics to debate the standardization of beauty. Does this merely add to the commercial objectification, or does it push back against laws rooted in a repressive culture of expression?
(images via ntlam on Flickr and StyleList)
No. 4: A porn star sells you games. >>>>>>>>
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TAGS: asian nudity • Child Model • Japan child pornography • lolicon • Mai Phuong Thuy nude • Maiko Itai topless • Manga youth bill • Naked News • Sex Sells • Singapore nude art • Sola Aoi • 東京都青少年の健全な育成に関する条例
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