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IKEA has publicly announced it will improve security after a video of a woman openly masturbating in an IKEA store in China went viral. The clip itself is two minutes long and shows a woman, who has not been identified, in various inappropriate positions throughout the store.
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The woman, who is wearing only a white shirt, touches herself inappropriately first on a chair, then on a bed in the store before eventually removing her shirt. Throughout the clip, shoppers can be seen walking past her.
The Video Was Quickly Removed From Social Media in China After It Went Viral
The NSFW video quickly went viral before being completely removed from social media in China. IKEA’s statement in response to the clip received over 9 million views, showing just how popular the story was. In a statement obtained by Heavy, IKEA said:
IKEA China attaches great importance to the incident of the recently circulated indelicate video that was probably connected with IKEA store in the mainland of China. We are strongly against and condemn this kind of behavior and have already reported to the police in the city where the impacted IKEA store is supposed to be located.
The statement from the Swedish furniture chain explains that the company is “committed to continuously providing the consumers with home inspiration and creating a safe, comfortable and healthy shopping experience and environment.” It also asked customers to work together to create a positive shopping environment.
The company did not reveal the identity of the woman or the person who made the video, or at which store this took place. A spokesperson told Heavy that the incident is under investigation. Some people on social media have said they believe it is in the Chinese province of Guangdong due to the Cantonese store announcements common in parts of southern China.
As the NY Post reported, many social media users pointed out that customers in the store are not wearing masks, so it is believed the incident took place before the COVID-19 outbreak spread through China in January.
This Isn’t the First Explicit Incident in China Involving the Furniture Giant
In 2016, a clip of a woman shopping for furniture without pants or underwear went viral on Chinese social media. The post claimed that she was at an IKEA store in Beijing. At the time, the furniture giant said they had reported the incident to police and asked “that all consumers observe social morality and maintain social justice and social order.”
According to the NY Post, the Japanese clothing chain Uniqlo also had an explicit incident in one of their Chinese stores. In 2015, a branch of the store in Beijing went viral after a clip surfaced of a couple having sex in one of the changing rooms. Uniqlo denied that it was a publicity stunt, and five people, including the couple in the video, were arrested.
The outlet added that at the time of the incident the Chinese Cyberspace Administration issued a statement saying that the video clip “severely violated socialist core values.”
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