It is now illegal to eat a banana in an “erotic” manner while using a webcam in China.
Live-streaming services have banned users from filming themselves seductively tucking into the yellow fruit – while wearing stockings and suspenders is also a no-no.
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The clampdown is the Government’s latest attempt to eradicate “inappropriate and erotic” online content, with the Ministry of Culture particularly investigating popular live-streaming platforms for allegedly hosting pornographic or violent content that “harms social morality”.
These sites are attracting more and more users in China, and particularly popular channels feature young women entertaining a largely male audience, singing Chinese songs or chatting to their viewers.
News of the banana ban has caused a storm on Chinese social media. One person fumed: “How do they decide what’s provocative when eating a banana?” Another addeds: “Can male live-streamers still eat them?”
But one commentator offered a solution to the banana ban. “They will all start eating cucumbers, and if that’s no good, yams,” he said.