Hiring bridesmaids is China's latest wedding trend
Brides are turning to professional assistants to save friends from sexual harassment, say critics

Professional bridesmaids are being hired to perform wedding duties in China because amateurs are finding the tasks demanded of them too demeaning or vulgar.
Reports suggest that the role has changed significantly in recent years.
"A bridesmaids' job went from accompanying the bride to gradually being asked to light cigarettes and feed fruits to guests to having physical contact with guests and even being asked to take off their clothes in front of everyone in some rare cases," reports the Chinese news website, China.org.cn.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
These increasingly demeaning and humiliating tasks "have scared away the real bridesmaids who usually used to be friends and relatives of the bride", it adds.
The practice has come under scrutiny following a viral video showing the treatment of a bridesmaid at the Bali wedding of Chinese actor Bao Beier.
Bridesmaid Liu Yan is seen being seized by several celebrity groomsmen who then tried to throw her into a pool, ignoring her protests.
Critics say this is sexual harassment and highlights the plight of bridesmaids at Chinese wedding ceremonies.
"Liu was definitely sexually violated, whether she said it is true or not," Luo Ruixue, from the women's right group Women Awakening Network, told the Global Times.
"If we dig deeper, in China, the teasing culture in weddings shows men collectively harassing women," she added.
One professional assistant, Vision Peng, told the Financial Times that by hiring bridesmaids, a bride was effectively doing her friends a favour.
"Professional bridesmaids like me are tougher than amateurs," Peng said. "Some best men will tease bridesmaids or be fresh with them. Professionals like me can solve the embarrassment easily and quickly. That's one reason I think why people hire me, to protect their friends."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
How does the Clean Air Act work?
The Explainer The law makes the air healthier. Will what we breathe stay that way?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
US Treasuries were a 'safe haven' for investors. What changed?
Today's Big Question Doubts about America's fiscal competence after 'Liberation Day'
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
By Abby Wilson Published
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical
By The Week Staff Published
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK Published
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published