Sri Lankan Facebook users falsely claim bald Chinese reality show cast are 'cancer patients'

An image of four bald women has circulated in Sri Lankan Facebook groups with tens of thousands of users alongside the false claim they are cancer patients. But it in fact shows women who shaved their heads for a Chinese reality show that aired in 2016. The programme aimed to challenge stereotypical beauty standards and none of the women went bald because of any disease.

"They are cancer patients. Even with their heads shaved and death staring them in the face, they continue to smile. I hope you all recover soon," reads Sinhala-language text under an image of four bald women shared in a Facebook group with 11,000 users on October 28, 2023.

A caption reads: "May all those suffering from cancer, including my mother, experience a speedy recovery. May Buddha's blessings be with you all."

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A screenshot of the Facebook post, captured on November 13, 2023

The same image was shared alongside similar false claims elsewhere on Facebook, including here and here.

But the women in the photo did not shave their heads because of cancer.

A reverse image search for the image on Baidu found that one of the women is a Chinese actress named Wang Miaoshan (archived link).

Subsequent keyword searches on social media platform Weibo found the photo shared in a post promoting a short-video programme called "Bald Shan's Perfect Alliance".

The official Weibo account of the programme is tagged in the post, and AFP found it uploaded the original photo on August 12, 2016.

The post is only available on the Weibo mobile app. The below image and QR code were generated by the app as an option to share the post:

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An image capture of the Weibo post, taken November 21, 2023

"Please look forward to the first episode of 'Bald Shan's Perfect Alliance'. My life is not perfect, but I live with no regrets and enjoy my life. A lot of things require courage to do, but more important is a confident and strong self," reads the post, written in simplified Chinese.

Below is a screenshot comparison between the image shared in the false posts (left) and the photo shared on Weibo (right):

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A screenshot comparison between the image shared in the false posts (left) and the photo shared on Weibo (right)

Further keyword searches found the programme available on Youku, one of China's biggest streaming platforms. It was first uploaded in 2016.

According to the show's description, "Bald Shan's Perfect Alliance" is a fashion programme where guests shaved their heads to challenge popular beauty standards.

Wang Miaoshan, the actress seen in the photo of the bald women, was the host.

The show's fifth episode includes scenes that correspond to the image seen in the false post. The six-minute episode sees Wang taking the show's guests for a makeover and on an outing to Beijing's bustling Sanlitun neighbourhood.

The women take a selfie together at the video's two-minute, 50-second mark:

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A screenshot of a scene from 'Bald Shan's Perfect Alliance' that corresponds to the image in the false posts

In the show's third episode, the three guests explained their motivations for shaving their heads, such as subverting the expectations of family members. One of the women says she "just wanted to do it".

None of the women mention wanting to shave their head because of illness.

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