THE NAKED TRUTH

Xiong Jing (left) campaigns on the internet against domestic violence with a picture of her on which her naked upper body is painted with red hands. Xiao Meinu considers the pressure on women to enlarge her breasts as a form of violence. "I have very small breasts, but I'm proud of my body," says Xiao Meinu meining 'beautiful girl' in the Chinese language.

'The naked truth' is the name of a Chinese internet campaign against domestic violence against women. 'A study from 2011 shows that behind the closed doors of traditional Chinese families over 30% of the 550 million Chinese women are victims of domestic violence. "If fashion magazines can use naked female models to sell perfume, why should we not be allowed to use our bodies to demand action against a gross violation of our human rights? It is the naked truth that the female body is a battlefield in China ", says webredactrice Xiong Jing of the new digital magazine 'Women's Voices' on defensive tone. The photos of her and her two girlfriends have sparked much controversy because of the alleged pronografic character. The censorship tries to ban the photos from internet but without result, as is often the case with unpleasant digital publications. "

Reportage and photographs: Oscar Garschagen published in NRC Handelsblad of Saturday, December 29th & Sunday, December 30, 2012