A controversial sex tape allegedly filmed at a Chinese Uniqlo store has led to five arrests and has anointed the retailer’s Sanlitun location as a new selfie hot spot for young people in Beijing.
The short video, featuring a young man and a mostly-nude woman with her pants at her knees, was allegedly shot inside the store’s dressing room using a smart phone. Since its release, the film has gone viral, and crowds have flocked to the store in question, causing some to question whether what appears to be an amateur sex tape is in fact a crude marketing stunt.
The arrested parties reportedly include the couple, and three other individuals whose connection to the incident is not yet known.
Screen grabs from the Uniqlo sex tape.
The Cyberspace Administration of China, the agency that regulates the Chinese Internet, was quick to denounce the film in a statement, calling it “obscene” and “severely against socialist core values.”
Government disapproval apparently hasn’t done much to deter public response to the racy video.
Young people are flocking to the store, according to CNN, saying, “I never heard of Uniqlo before the clip,” and, “We came here specifically to check out the fitting room.”
Screen grabs from the Uniqlo sex tape.
During the film, the man can be heard whispering “call me husband,” and “say we’ll be together,” while a voice over the PA system identifies Uniqlo’s Sanlitun location and directs customers looking to try on clothing to fitting rooms on the second and third floors, as translated by CNN.
If the video is not, in fact, a bit of viral marketing, the timing of the announcement was certainly fortuitous, and its effects are undeniable.
The crowds of excited selfie-takers milling around outside Uniqlo, as well as the swift sales of commemorative t-shirts emblazoned with a shot from the video and the store logo, are proof positive that, as always, sex sells. (Sex and selfies have also previously proven to be a winning combination.)
Selfie madness proliferates outside the Beijing Uniqlo store thought to be the site of the dressing room where a viral sex tape was shot.
Photo: Ng Han Guan, courtesy AP Photo.
Reportedly, a police inquiry is looking into the possibility that the Japanese clothing chain was behind the video.
If Uniqlo is found guilty, Beijing lawyer Han Xiao told the China Daily, it could be fined up between 200,000 and 1 million yuan ($32,000 to $160,000) and lose its license as punishment for the distribution of pornography.
“We would like to remind the public to uphold social morality and use our fitting rooms in a correct and proper way,” read a statement released by Uniqlo according to Shanghai Daily. “We also firmly deny some online allegations saying the video is our publicity stunt.”
While the titillating video was quickly removed from Chinese social-media platforms such as WeChat and Weibo, it can still be found floating around the Internet.