Copyright yahoo
Fast-fashion giant Shein has been reported by France’s consumer watchdog to authorities for selling “sex dolls with a childlike appearance”. Measuring about three feet tall, the doll appeared to be designed to look like a little girl clutching a teddy bear with dark braids and a doe-eyed expression. The €190 (£170) product was described on the site as a “sex doll…with erotic body” and “realistic” genitalia. The Directorate General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) said on Saturday the online description “makes it difficult to doubt the child pornography nature of the content”, adding that it had “referred the matter to the public prosecutor”. The Chinese e-commerce site, best known for selling ultra-cheap clothing, electronics, beauty and homeware goods, has since removed the product from the platform and said they have launched an internal investigation. Alice Vilcot-Dutarte, the spokesman for the DGCCRF, told Le Parisien: “The announcements particularly shocked us. Imagine a child browsing the site, looking for a doll, randomly stumbling upon these products.” The DGCCRF also noted the absence of “screening measures” that would have prevented minors from accessing the content, and pointed out that the retail giant has already been condemned in France. Ms Vilcot-Dutarte said: “These reports concern the Shein website and brand, for which deceptive business practices, false claims, and several other non-compliance issues have already been widely identified and penalized.” Shein told Reuters: “The products in question were immediately removed from the platform as soon as we became aware of these major shortcomings.” The company, which is currently based in Singapore, added that it has a “zero-tolerance policy towards any content or products that violate our internal policies or applicable laws”. This year alone, Shein has been fined up to £170 million for breaching EU laws, including using online cookies without consent, for misleading customers about prices and for not declaring the presence of plastic microfibres in its products. The incident also comes just days before the retailer is due to open its first physical shop at Paris’s BHV Marais department store on Wednesday. The opening has been criticised in the fashion capital of the world. Suppliers in France have accused Shein of destroying the retail landscape and the country is helping to lead a political revolt against the business model it represents. The company has faced sustained criticism over allegations of forced labour and the destructive environmental impact of its mass production model. According to the French Federation of Women’s Ready-to-Wear, more than 15,000 jobs have been lost and dozens of stores have closed over the last three years due to the online marketplace. The retailer is due to open permanent shops in five Galeries Lafayette stores across France in cities like Dijon, Grenoble, Reims, Limoges and Angers. In the latest budget debates, members of parliament recently adopted an amendment that will remove tax benefits for fast-fashion companies like Shein and Chinese marketplace Temu, to “correct their production and marketing methods”.
