A photo that took China's Twitter-alike Sina Weibo by storm this week claims to show the country's latest fashion trend: "Super sexy, summertime anti-pervert full-leg-of-hair stockings, essential for all young girls going out."
The image has subsequently been reposted all over the web, but besides its rampant popularity, there is nothing else to indicate that this is a real thing, or even that the "photo" is real and not some sort of shop or optical illusion.
But even taking the image at face value, what do the stockings actually accomplish?
At The Daily Telegraph, British comedian and women's life columnist Katy Brand weighs in:
In fact what will happen is that all those nice, feminist men who pride themselves on being above their own cultural conditioning will be buying the drinks, and the old misogynists will leave the ladies alone – the successful suitors will be a pleasantly self-selecting group of males who are intellectual, lentil-eating, gentle and good at listening. The sex will be awful, of course, but it will be ever so respectful.
Back on Sina Weibo, one commenter wonders: "If it has come to this, why not just wear pants?"
[photo via Weibo]