Shanghai thinking about going braless

Shanghai plans to set up a citizen advisory panel to prevent advertisers from erecting billboards featuring scantily clad women and other images that might offend local sensibilities.

The move follows a series of recent complaints over a huge billboard in the Xujiahui area that displayed the bare thigh of a Hong Kong pop star who was selling skin-care products. ...

State regulations require that female images used in advertising must be "healthy and positive" and help foster sound morals among young people - stipulations that are vague at best.

Oh, it's only a "citizen advisory panel" -- nothing to worry about. Good use of the word "erecting," though. Sneaky.

Bra ads in Shanghai? Yes, we have a few -- all "healthy and positive" young women, to be sure. This was not the case a decade ago, however:

More rigid internal guidelines existed in the industry in the 1990s, prohibiting women shown in ads from wearing skirts or shorts ending above knee level. But insiders said those rules are seldom enforced today, as society has become more open-minded.

In most cases, bureaucrats make individual judgments about whether an image will offend the public.

The advisory panel will not only be looking at bra ads, but other potentially offensive material, as well:

In another case last year, a little boy in Putuo District was frightened by a cosmetics spot on TV that featured a woman who appeared to zip off her skin. The ad gave the boy nightmares, and his mother complained to the consumer commission, to no avail.

It's nice to know we aren't the only ones who find skin whiteners creepy.