A model who flashed the audience at a Chengdu modeling competition last week has made a splash in the nation's media.

Dubbed "Stripgate" (脱衣门), the hubbub around the incident began when an attendee of the show, who had caught the whole thing on camera, uploaded the 26-second video to popular online forum Tianya on November 9. He titled the post 《成都惊现"选秀门",渴望成名女当众脱光,有视频有真相》(something like "Chengdu's shocking 'Talentgate.' Fame-hungry woman exposes herself to the masses caught on camera.")

It quickly circulated, with netizens furiously searching for keywords such as "beauty" (美女) and "strip" (脱衣), although all nudity has been obscured in the video.

Next, the human flesh search engine quickly went to work, uncovering the woman's identity and posting her previous modeling photos to various forums.

The 23-year-old woman in the video is a professional nude model from Chengdu named Chen Shiyi (晨诗怡) who goes by the stage name of Yunyun. She studied tourism at a university in Chongqing and entered the modeling profession after she graduated. According to Netizens, she comes from a well-heeled family and is probably a member of the "wealthy second generation" rebelling against tradition.

Despite the heavy criticism from Internet users for her self-promotion tactics, nobody denies that Yunyun has succeeded in making a name for herself. Despite that, Yunyun maintains that she did it only to make a statement about nude modeling.

After the scandal broke out, a reporter tracked Yunyun down quiz her about her motives.

Why did you strip?
Yunyun: I wanted to make a name for myself at this competition, and also by doing this, I wanted to show that nude modeling is a real job. I think that nude modeling has many good aspects, and that many people today just don't understand the occupation. They have misgivings about it. But mostly I wanted to tell people to question the rules.

Was this planned by the competition's organizers?
Yunyun: No, this was all on my own.

There are many ways to show that nude modeling is a real job. Why would you choose this way?
Yunyun: This was just the idea that came out of my mind. I thought it was the most direct method, so I just did it.

But many people who watch the video might do so just because they've heard about the scandal. How do you know you'll get your message across?
Yunyun: Whether or not I succeed, I just want to tell everybody that figure modeling is an occupation that should be respected, not looked down upon.

How did you enter the world of nude modeling? Have you been criticized for your work?
Yunyun: After I graduated, I did some commercial modeling; afterward I decided that figure modeling is beautiful, and I would go do it whenever I had the chance. During that time, I've heard negativity from a lot of people. They don't understand figure modeling.

Some people think you're just a self-promoter. What do you have to say about that?
Yunyun: I haven't thought about what other people think. This was my own, spontaneous action.

Wang Yun, a spokesperson for the modeling show, stated that the organizers had nothing to do with the strip show, and that they are shocked and appalled by such behavior. The incident has caused him much "trouble," he said, and the "relevant governmental departments have already issued warnings" since the video has been circulated online with "Chengdu" in its name, and it is feared that the city's reputation will be tarnished.

Click here for the video stills.

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