ALBAWABA - A Chinese e-commerce platform specializing in fast fashion is facing a massive backlash after the sale of sex toys with a "childlike appearance", French news website Le Parisien reported on Saturday.
Activists on social media called to boycott Shein over the sale of childlike sex dolls on its website, accusing the Chinese e-commerce giant of promoting "child pornography".
France's consumer watchdog reported Shein to authorities after noticing "sex dolls with a childlike appearance", Le Parisien added. The company quickly removed the items from the sale and said it opened a probe into how these dolls were allowed on the website sale.
A child-sized doll, with all the physical characteristics of a little girl, is sold as a sex object. (Shein website)
The Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) stated that it was obvious from the description of the product that Shein was promoting "child pornography".
It said that online description and categorisation of the dolls "makes it difficult to doubt the child pornography nature of the content".
The online shopping app displayed a doll with the features and body of a little girl holding a teddy bear. The description reads: "sex doll (...) male masturbation toy with erotic body and realistic vagina and anus."
The childlike sex doll was listed at 186.94 euros ($215), Le Parisien outlined.
Shein, which is known for selling very low-priced clothing, beauty products and jewelry, investigators found out a whole range of pornographic products, including sex toys and other inflatable dolls intended for adults but can be easily accessible to minors, according to Alice Vilcot-Dutarte, the spokesperson for the DGCCRF.
