Niang pao

Niang pao literally translates to "girlie guns / girlie cannons" but is more commonly translated as "sissy".[1] It is generally used as an insult for effeminate men.[2] Because of this it is considered to be a gender based slur.[3]

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) used the term in a 2018 Xinhua item intended to show its preference for the portrayal of virile Chinese men on the Internet.[4]

In 2018, the official WeChat account of People’s Daily published a commentary denouncing “such derogatory phrases including ‘niangpao,’” and called for respect and tolerance of diversified aesthetics.[5]

In 2019 Chinese Academy of Social Sciences endorsed the theory that the United States Central Intelligence Agency initiated the phenomenon with a deliberate "campaign to 'brainwash' Asian men" starting in 1962 in Japan with the Johnny & Associates talent agency.[6]

The National Radio and Television Administration used the term in a 2021 edict condemning the television portrayal of effeminate men, as part of CCP general secretary Xi Jinping's broader crackdown on gender differences and non-conforming social identities.[7] The Guardian noted Chinese television programs Youth With You and Produce 101 as examples that were targeted.[8]

• Little fresh meat

• Yuhan Xu (September 30, 2018). "A Fiery Debate Over 'Sissies' Vs. Macho Men In China's Social Media". National Public Radio.
• Jack Kilbride; Bang Xiao (September 14, 2018). "China's 'sissy pants phenomenon': Beijing fears negative impact of 'sickly culture' on teenagers". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.