Shein’s Response to Childlike Sex Doll Controversy
Nepal, Nov. 4 — Asian e-commerce giant Shein has pledged to “cooperate fully” with French judicial authorities following a significant backlash over the sale of childlike sex dolls on its platform. The company also stated it is prepared to reveal the names of individuals who purchased these items.
This controversy arises as Shein prepares to open its first physical retail store in the world, located in the prestigious BHV department store in central Paris, scheduled for Wednesday.
“We will cooperate fully with the judicial authorities,” said Shein’s spokesman in France, Quentin Ruffat, during an interview with RMC radio. He added that the company is ready to share the names of those who have bought such dolls.
“We will be completely transparent with the authorities,” he emphasized. “We will put the necessary safeguards in place to ensure that this does not happen again,” Ruffat added.
The Paris prosecutor’s office has initiated investigations against Shein, alongside rival online retailers AliExpress, Temu, and Wish, over the sale of sex dolls. These probes are focused on distributing “messages that are violent, pornographic or improper, and accessible to minors,” according to the office’s statement to AFP.
The investigations were triggered after France’s anti-fraud unit reported that Shein, a Singapore-based company originally founded in China, was selling childlike sex dolls. French media published a photo of one of the dolls sold on the platform, accompanied by an explicitly sexual caption.
The pictured doll measured around 80 centimeters (30 inches) in height and held a teddy bear. Ruffat described what had happened as “serious, unacceptable, intolerable.” He attributed the sale of the dolls to “a malfunction in our processes and governance.”
A Total Ban on Sex-Doll-Type Products
On Monday, Shein announced a “total ban on sex-doll-type products” and deleted all listings and images linked to them. The company’s meteoric rise has been a challenge for traditional retail fashion companies, and even before the uproar over the dolls, the arrival of Shein in the fashion capital had sparked controversy.
Critics fear that Shein will further impact stores in France that have already had to lay off staff or close down. “Shein in France. Who can stop it?” asked the left-leaning French daily Liberation on its front page.
Frederic Merlin, the 34-year-old director of the company that owns BHV, has faced criticism for partnering with Shein, which has been accused of unfair competition, environmental pollution, and poor working conditions. Merlin admitted on Tuesday that he considered ending the partnership with Shein after the latest uproar.
“It’s despicable,” he told broadcaster RTL. “I find it sickening to know that we can freely sell this kind of stuff on the internet,” Merlin added. However, he reconsidered, stating that Shein’s stance and readiness to cooperate with the French authorities “convinced me to continue.”
He expressed confidence in the Shein products that will be sold at the department store and denounced a “general hypocrisy” surrounding Shein and its “25 million French customers.” Merlin hoped that the Asian giant would help increase footfall at the department store.
Calls for Accountability
On Monday, France’s high commissioner for childhood, Sarah El Hairy, condemned the dolls, calling them “paedophile objects that predators unfortunately sometimes use to practise before moving on to abusing children.” Ruffat said he and “the entire Shein brand” shared her concerns.
“We will be delighted to discuss these issues with her, these issues of paedophile crime, which are too serious to be ignored,” he said.
Finance Minister Roland Lescure warned that he would move to ban the company from the French market if the items returned online. On Monday, an association fighting to protect children from all forms of violence staged a protest in front of the department store.
“Shame on Shein,” one of the signs read. “Shein has to pay, politically speaking,” said Arnaud Gallais, co-founder and president of the Mouv’Enfants association.