Hong Kong Mall Hilariously Replaces Racy Pin-Up Girls After Takedown Complaint
Image via TK Kurikawa / Shutterstock.com
A mall frequented by locals in Hong Kong has addressed furor surrounding provocative illustrations of scantily-clad women… by somehow making them more outrageous.
The nine-story Dragon Centre at Hong Kong’s Sham Shui Po had been recognizable for its racy billboards by illustrator Elphonso Lam Cheung-kwan depicting pin-up girls in swimsuits, sportswear, and school uniforms.
The risqué appeal became part of the mall’s branding, and nuances of it were even added to buses.
However, not all locals were receptive to this sort of aesthetic. According to the Hong Kong Standard, district councilor Nicole Lau Pui-yuk from the conservative Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong pushed for the artworks to be taken down following complaints from parents, who thought the imagery was inappropriate and raunchy.
The artist responded that the illustrations had been approved by the Obscene Articles Tribunal, and suggested that the graphics would only be indecent if the viewer’s thoughts were indecent in the first place.
Nonetheless, disgruntled parents got what they wished for—though not exactly in the way they had imagined. Instead of wholly replacing the imagery, Dragon Centre kept faithful to its cheeky branding by parodying the original graphics.
The mall enlisted cartoon artist Gum Siu-man to recreate the old illustrations in his own comical style, giving the women round eyes and frog-like lips.
Elphonso Lam, the artist behind the original pin-up drawings, was tickled by the revamp. He took to social media to ask followers to compare both styles and decide “which one is more indecent and scary!”
The brazen move has also delighted internet users, with renowned tech blogger Jane Manchun Wong remarking, “This is my favorite kind of malicious compliance.”
[via Hong Kong Standard, cover image via TK Kurikawa / Shutterstock.com]
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