Vloggers provoke 92-year-old woman for views, raising questions over content and humiliation

A 92-year-old street food seller in Chengdu has become the target of a fierce debate after vloggers allegedly provoked her, filmed her reactions and turned them into online entertainment.

The creators reportedly visited Xue’s stall without buying food, taunted her and deliberately created confrontations. Some whistled at her or blew cigarette smoke into her face. They then edited the footage under labels such as “evil old woman” and “the pastry-selling villain,” attracting thousands of likes.

“

Stop filming me

In several clips, Xue can be heard shouting, “Stop filming me,” while trying to shield herself from the camera. The filming continued despite her protests. The incident has been described as “camera bullying,” a term for filming people without consent to produce shocking content and attract engagement.

“

Xue may have shortcomings, but that does not mean she deserves to be disrespected. They deliberately provoked her, profited from exposing her anger, and then claimed to be acting in the name of justice

The controversy has also drawn attention to Xue’s difficult circumstances. She sells baked goods from a street stall in Chengdu, Sichuan province, and has worked to support herself since her son died after a serious illness. Local residents had praised her determination. During busy periods, she reportedly worked up to 15 hours a day, and her monthly income sometimes exceeded 20,000 yuan, about $3,000.

Xue has faced criticism as well. Some customers complained in 2019 that her prices were high and her attitude poor, while others raised food-safety concerns. She has said she does not use a smartphone and knows little about social media, but acknowledged that her customer service needed improvement. Online users said those shortcomings could not justify humiliating her. On August 27, Chengdu’s cyberspace authority closed two social-media accounts for violating Xue’s privacy and reputation rights.

“

An elderly person like this still has to work to earn a living. Even if you do not like her, such harassment is completely unacceptable