*Warning: this article includes content that people with eating disorders may find triggering.*
Chinese eating show bloggers will face harsher censorship in an attempt to cut food waste and prevent unhealthy eating.
Eating show bloggers on Chinese social media might risk having videos deleted and accounts closed or being banned from live streaming if their content is found to encourage binge eating or other unhealthy diets, according to several Chinese video-sharing social networking services including Kuaishou, Douyu and Douyin.
Eating shows have become one of the most popular live show genres in China. They are also known as Muckbang, and originate from Korea.
Hosts grow their followers by posting videos showing themselves eating extremely spicy and strange food. They also participate in food challenges eating large portions in a short time.
The shows mainly attract a female audience aged between 20 to 40 years old. They would never dream of eating in such a manner themselves out of fear of gaining weight.
Popular bloggers can then attract sponsors. They are willing to pay for advertising ceartain food or restaurants during live shows.
One of the most popular creators of this kind on Douyinthe, the Chinese version of TikTok owned by Bytedance, is Mizijun. She has garnered more than 8.4M followers since a video she posted in 2016. In it she finshed 10 bowls of spicy instant noodles within just 17 minutes. That video scooped her 1.7M likes.
Her best-performing post was eating 1,000 spicy crayfishes at a cost of 2,400 RMB (£263). It received over 2M likes.
However, the video on her Douyin account was deleted by the platform two days after the new rules were introduced. In total, more than 100 of her previous eating show videos were taken down.
Cautionary message saying, “Treasure food, say no to food waste, have a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle” can be seen when users search the service for hashtags such as “Big Stomach King”. It also appears in the caption of some individual eating show posts. Searching results of such hashtags are replaced with videos denouncing food waste, instead of original eating shows.
Live eating shows that require nothing more than a big appetite tend to quickly go viral on Chinese social media. Good-looking and skinny “foodies” have joined the trend, asily attracting traffic and bringing high incomes.
The Beijing News revealed that one eating show host can earn nearly 800,000 RMB (£88,045) over a period of two years. According to the China Consumer Journal, an eating show host with approximately one million followers can earn roughly 300,000 RMB (£33,000) by eating enough food to feed 50 people.
While more and more people are tuning into eating shows, some viewers are becoming sceptical about the authenticity of these videos. Criticism of eating show hosts wasting food by binging and then vomiting has become a hot topic on Weibo, the Chinese Twitter-like micro-blogging site. This has attracted the attention of Chinese officials.
Spokespersons for platforms including Kuaishou, Douyu and Douyin all state that “food waste is strictly forbidden on our platforms and we are actively involved to guide healthy food consumption”.
Meanwhile, they also warn that content involving binge-eating, encouraging extreme eating, and fake eating and vomiting after eating could result in content being deleted, the banning of live streaming and accounts being closed permanently.
A statement published by the China Association of Performing Arts – a non-profit organisation consisting of art groups and individual artists – said “the occurrence of wasting food is horrifying and distressing”. This is quoting words from the Chinese President Xi Jinping.
It also calls on member institutions to strengthen the censorship of this kind of content. Especially on live streams related to food and to guide the public to develop a healthy diet.
The opinions of Weibo users are divided. Some say these videos help them control their intake and lose weight. However, others argue this practice is cheating and misleading to the public.
Some users are more sympathetic. They say it is meaningless trying to make big money at such a cost to a person’s health. There are also users who question the tighter rules on eating shows, claiming them to be an overreaction and cautioning against the consequences of radical action.
Clinical experts have also raised concerns that watching eating shows where large amounts of food is consumed could be a trigger for people who have eating disorders or who may be susceptible to developing one.
It is advised that anyone intending to produce this type of content should pre-warn viewers of the matter,. While anyone with an eating disorder ought to approach this kind of content with extreme caution.
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In the UK, you can find support and advice for eating disorders through the following organisations:
Anorexia and Bulimia Care https://www.anorexiabulimiacare.org.uk/
Beat: https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/
Overeaters Anonymous: https://www.oagb.org.uk/
