Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images
A woman puts on makeup at a train station in Beijing on December 12, 2014.
A woman puts on makeup at a train station in Beijing on December 12, 2014.
A woman puts on makeup at a train station in Beijing on December 12, 2014.
Hong Kong (CNN) –– A promotional video from a state-owned railway in China that urged women to avoid wearing makeup while traveling on trains has sparked fierce backlash and a debate about sexism.
On Saturday, China Railway’s clip was the most searched, most read and most discussed article on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like social media platform – two months after it was originally published.
The post’s angry reception comes amid a broader feminist movement calling for greater gender equality in the country of 1.4 billion people, where men often still dominate boardrooms and top government bodies – and where the feminist movement has historically was often censored.
The post was apparently intended as part of a campaign by the railway to curb anti-social behavior among passengers, and follows a series of other posts instructing people not to litter, take other people’s seats or talk too loudly.
The video, unveiled in July, shows a stylishly dressed woman filming herself preparing to apply lotion and foundation while sitting in the cabin of a high-speed intercity train.
She’s interrupted by a man in the next seat tapping her on the shoulder, and the clip then shows the man’s face covered in her foundation.
“I don’t have to put on makeup, beauty,” he then says to the woman, who apologizes and helps him clean up.
The approximately one-minute clip has sparked a controversy that has no end.
As of Saturday, the accompanying hashtag had garnered 340 million views and 20,000 comments. Many citizens criticized the video as offensive.
“Why does it have to be such a gendered case where women put on makeup to illustrate uncivilized behavior?” asked one Weibo user.
Others defended the right to wear makeup. “There’s nothing uncivilized about it,” said one.
Another asked: “Will the next step be to ban women from the train once and for all?”
CNN has reached out to China Railway for comment.
Chinese officials have tried to defend the ad, calling on people not to “overinterpret” it in a commentary published by state media.
The comment, first published in Nanfang Daily, said makeup incidents like the one pictured were among the “most common” complaints.
However, it was acknowledged that there were worse behaviors – such as being too loud or occupying another passenger’s seat.
“The editor of the video is not asking people not to wear makeup on the train, but rather to promote a civilized form of commuting and be considerate of the feelings of other passengers,” it said.
In response to queries from local press, staff at China Railway’s customer service hotline said makeup is not banned on trains.