It’s been a week since Cleavage-gate erupted on the C-entertainment webs and shows no sign of abating. The whole kerfluffle started two weeks ago when the popular currently airing period C-drama The Empress of China (武媚娘传奇) was suddenly yanked off the air with a lame sounding “technical difficulties” explanation. It returned to the airwaves right after the new year with a whole new look – all the empresses, consorts, court ladies, and maids were suspiciously missing their bodies from the clavicle down. I saw new side-by-side screencaps made by amused C-netizens of the new-versus-old versions of the drama and it’s too hilarious not to share.
Originally billed as a luxe and resplendent dramatic take on the life of Tang dynasty Empress Wu Zhe Tian, the drama immediately got audience attention with the admittedly impressively decked out Tang ladies outfits that may have some historical accuracy in design but went way overboard with the underwire bras and bustiers needed to push every actress’ bust together and skyward. I guarantee push-up bras did not exist in the Tang dynasty. My last post only touched on the surface but this drama-within-a-drama is spreading wider as all the online episodes of Empress have now also been edited to only show the heads of the female characters. C-netizens have now renamed the drama The Big Headed Empress of China LOL.
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Yikes! Couldn't they have just photoshopped it? Zooming in like for every episode has got to be so annoying!
That's what I thought too. They could've just blurred the chest area a bit and voila but the zoom in would ruin the drama viewing. On one hand I don't understand why make such a big deal out of it, and on the other hand why the producers or designers needed the actrices to look like they were very busty back then. Well the drama within a drama makes of an entertainment of its own :P
Seriously, why ruin the drama with the zooming in. This drama is supposed to rival the popularity of Empresses in the Palace, which btw is airing on HBO America, later this year.
You would think the censors would be happy that for once the hit drama is from a Han led dynasty, and not the typical Qing Palace dramas. Or maybe that's why? It just seems odd that they will go after such a high budget, and popular drama. Maybe they just don't like the team behind the drama.
Hunan tv did that! They created a little tanktop underneath and it looks pretty neat tbh!
Some aren't bad at all, the 'before's I mean. Although I do agree that a few shots are a little gratuitous because like you say, they wouldn't have had wonderbras back then and there's no need to use them here as it would be a perfectly pretty drama if they had simply used regular bras . . .
Well, in the Tang dynasty, the plumper you were, the more beautiful you were considered to be; and the whole point of displaying the cleavage was to show off your curves. It isn't unlikely that the palace women would have had huge chests in comparison to the actresses and the costume department maybe wanted to show that.
I think only Yang Gui Fei had a curvy/plumper body in comparison to other women at her time. However, I don't think in China, there was ever a time that plump means beautiful...Ever...
What a pity. They spent so much money on creating the clothes and now can't show them.
I have read the TV series will be aired un-edited in Taiwan.
I really hope some place will be unedited to see the full costumes. Too bad they did just blur the chest area or photoshop a white cloth across the top of the bustline.
LOL!!! This is beyond ridiculous. I'd say that even without the cropping, the shots of the busty Tang ladies are ridiculous enough. I'm quite sure that there was some cleavage revealed in Tang-times, but those wonder-bra enhanced boobs are taking it too far and are totally hilarious.
Also, I'm wondering how many of those actresses are cursing the uselessness of having had endured the pain.
lol...i have to agree. It's not even worth watching when the whole drama seems to be edited. I don't know how good the acting/script is for the drama. But i'm going to pass.
Sure, when the consort or women are in the King's bed. I don't think the King's women would walk around baring her chest for all to see. Chinese men historically are very sensitive to other men looking at their women, since this is the Emperor we are talking about I'm sure he wouldn't have allowed the women to dress like that walking around.
Actually, when I first saw the photos of this drama, I was actually shocked that China authorities would let it air, since dramas are usually watched by kids with their parents too.
So, now they are hiding the revealing outfits, I'm sure the designer must be upset, but the production team should have known something like this would happen in a country that is soooooo conservative.
Hahaha at the captions in the last pic, especially "I don't even have a rack. How come I'm also left with only my neck?"
Was this a conspiracy by the actresses/managers? And, can these gals not act? If not, these edited (head)shots will tell. LOL.
In some shots the actresses look naked cause you just see bare shoulders. This is hilarious
Ks the drama any good? The costumes were beautiful by the way.
I would say, "The Headdress of China". LOL