'Dress flamboyantly, behave flirtatiously’: China's middle school under fire for promoting victim shaming

A controversial lesson on sexual harassment, which was conducted at a middle school situated in the southern region of China, has stirred an online discussion regarding victim-blaming. The school, located in Zhaoqing City in Guangdong province, held a “mental health education” class last year where it showed photos with messages saying that those who suffer sexual harassment do so because they “dress flamboyantly and behave flirtatiously”. But photos of the teaching material only began circulating this month, drawing attention to statements that perpetuate victim-blaming in the context of sexual harassment. “Girls shouldn’t wear transparent or skimpy clothes and should avoid frivolous behaviour,” the material presented at the “mental health education” class said. It may be noted that in China, mental health education classes are equivalent of sex education classes. The photos prompted anger and disbelief on social media, with many blaming conservative attitudes they said reflected deep-rooted gender inequality in a patriarchal society. Chinese state-run media outlet People’s Daily said that the Chinese social media users as well as the general populace were angered by the classes and also by the response given by the authorities when questioned regarding the material. The class was held in 2022 but the photos appeared on China’s heavily censored internet this month. Chinese netizens said that those teaching the course are problematic while some pointed out that there are still prevalent conservative attitudes which reflect deep-rooted gender inequality. The emergence of these images has ignited a wave of emotions, encompassing sentiments of anger and disbelief, as they spread across various social media platforms. Critics have been swift to underscore the entrenched gender inequality that prevails in a society marked by patriarchal norms. They attribute the perpetuation of such attitudes to prevailing conservative perspectives within specific segments of the population. Over the years, several incidents of a similar nature have surfaced, generating controversies. These situations have garnered particular attention in the context of China’s persistent #MeToo movement. Despite facing consistent challenges stemming from censorship and ongoing curbs on feminist activism, the #MeToo movement in China continues to endure.