A new “parenting” trend in China is seeing young women embrace “painless motherhood” by raising cotton dolls as their own children.
The toy-caring fad even extends to celebrating their “children’s” birthdays at hotpot restaurants, buying expensive clothes and even taking them on holidays.
The trend gained attention in October 2023, when a woman took her cotton dolls to the popular hotpot chain Haidilao and made a viral post titled: “Is Haidilao Discriminating Against Cotton Doll Owners?”.
In the post, she detailed how she requested a baby chair for her doll, only to be met with surprise and confusion from staff.
She also claimed that while Haidilao is known for its top-tier service, during her visit, staff missed food orders, failed to refill water and repeatedly refused to sing a birthday song for the dolls.
The post ignited controversy, snowballing into a national debate over whether “Haidilao should celebrate birthdays for cotton dolls”.
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