Xiao Meili


Xiao Meili is a Chinese women's rights activist, feminist, writer, and influencer. Her article China's Feminist Awakening has appeared in the New York Times. She resided in Beijing, China in 2015.

Activism

Xiao Meili's Feminist Walk

Some of Xiao's most notable campaigns include her 2,000 km walk from Beijing to Guangzhou to raise awareness of sexual abuse in 2014, and organizing a competition on Sina Weibo for the best photo of a woman's unshaven armpit to challenge stereotypical views of female beauty in 2015. Xiao has stated that her activism work is funded from online personal donations.

"Blood Brides" or "Bloody Wedding Dress"

Xiao is also known for creating the "bloody wedding dress" meme in China to protest domestic violence in 2012, and has been featured in a Chinese adaptation of The Vagina Monologues. Xiao also spoke out against the Chinese government's arrest of five women's rights activists just days before International Women's Day in 2015. This group of women—Li Tingting, Wei Tingting, Zheng Churan, Wu Rongrong, and Wang Man —are commonly known as the "Feminist Five."

Women's Armpit Hair Competition

In June 2015, Xiao started a Women's Armpit Hair Photo Contest on Weibo, China's social media. Her goal of the photo contest was to spark debate about gender inequality and beauty stereotypes.
In early 2018, Xiao participated in activism to combat sexual harassment faced by women using public transportation.
Xiao cites Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex as a strong influence in shaping her activist work.

Biography

Xiao was born in the Sichuan Province in 1989. She attended the Communication University of China in Beijing. Before her activism work, Xiao previously ran an online store selling clothes on Taobao.com., one of China's online trading platforms.