Chinese celebrity fan clubs have taken another approach to protesting their idols’ management decisions – simply stopping work. Shen Yue’s official fan club recently announced a suspension of all activities. They are protesting the actress’s upcoming partnership with a cosmetics brand that’s gone viral through social media marketing. The dispute escalated after Shen Yue’s studio said that the endorsement would go ahead as planned on September 15. In a statement, the official fan club said, “As of now, none of everyone’s reasonable requests have received any response. Effective immediately, all of Shen Yue’s fan groups will suspend operations.”
Fans have objected to the brand over past controversies surrounding its marketing and products. Her studio reportedly responded that the brand had replaced its operations team with one from a leading major brand and that Shen Yue had personally tested the products. Fans, however, felt the response failed to address their concerns about the brand’s image and values; and they would not spend money, nor promote the brand.
Just a day prior to Shen Yue’s fan club suspending operations, Liu Haocun’s official fan club similarly announced that all operations would be suspended until further notice, with its return dependent on her studio. The reason was because fans are against a rumored endorsement deal with an underwear brand geared towards curvier to plus-size women. They felt the partnership was incompatible with Liu Haocun’s image, arguing that her slim, ballerina figure would not align naturally with the brand.
Like Shen Yue’s case, however, the dispute appears to go beyond a single endorsement. Fans also express frustration with the artists’s studios ranging from how they handle antis to promotional activities and resource selection. They also questioned the move for the actresses commercially, given previous partnerships with luxury brands.
