‘Mistress dress’ sells out online after top exec in China caught in extramarital affair
As of Thursday, 4,000 units of the pink dresses had reportedly been bought by social media users on the online shopping platform Taobao
Michelle De Pacina
JUNE 12, 2023
AFTER A TOP business executive in China was caught on camera holding hands in public with his mistress, thousands of Chinese social media users have begun buying the same pink silk dress.
Caught in 4K: Hu Jiyong, the general manager and executive director of the state-owned Huanqiu Contracting and Engineering Corporation, and his co-worker, Dong Sijin, were captured on video holding hands at a shopping district in Chengdu, Sichuan province, by a street photographer.
In the video circulating on Weibo, Hu can be seen wearing a pink polo shirt while Dong dons a matching floral, body-hugging dress. The clip has garnered millions of views, drawing criticism of the pair and, surprisingly, a discussion surrounding the mistress’ “beautiful dress.”
“Mistress dress”: Netizens immediately traced the 618 yuan (approximately $87) pink dress to the online shopping platform Taobao, which is operated by Alibaba.
The item soon topped Taobao’s hot items list with more than 12 million people checking the “mistress dress.” As of Thursday, 4,000 units were reportedly sold.
“Every dress is probably worn by a mistress at one point. The dress is innocent!” a fan of the dress reportedly said.
“Don’t be embarrassed for wearing the same dress as the woman in the video. I do not see any men feeling embarrassed for wearing a pink polo shirt,” another person said.
Online criticism: However, other online users criticized the trend and buyers of the “mistress dress.”
“A beautifully dressed mistress, everyone followed suit. The same dress was sold out. It is really ridiculous and ironic,” a Weibo user said.
“Why would someone want to dress in the style of a mistress? The craze over this really reflects a moral decline in our society,” another user wrote.
Pink slips: Hu and Dong were reportedly fired from the company last week. The company noted that Hu is also being investigated by its disciplinary committee.
