Chinese media and netizens are outraged at a foreign car manufacturer for using a social trope in one of their advertisements even though the cliche is so common in Chinese society that it is featured during primetime television.

A recent commercial promoting second-hand Audis has been under fire for its "sexist" attitude of "treating women like livestock."

The 34-second commercial depicts the mother of the groom interrupting the exchanging of the vows during a Chinese wedding ceremony to give her soon-to-be daughter-in-law a crude physical examination. Much to the shock of the guests and the non-Chinese priest presiding over the wedding, the groom's mother yanks on the bride's face to look inside the bride's mouth and behind her ear.

When she finally gives an "OK" sign after walking away, the bride and groom give a visible sigh of relief. However, the new mother-in-law pauses, suggesting there is one last place she forgot to check, at which point the bride demurely covers her bosom.

The commercial ends with the words, "An important decision must be made carefully."

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However, the tongue-in-cheek commercial did not tickle Chinese netizens the way it intended to and has since been taken offline. Some netizens complained that the commercial "likens women to a slave or a horse" while others said it "reinforces social bias against plastic surgery."

One netizen wrote: "What a revolting commercial. Audi is such a big company, and yet they think like this?" Another said, "I am so taken aback by Audi's comparison of women to second-hand cars that I want to vomit!"

The Chinese media has also condemned the commercial. The People's Daily has described the Audi commercial as a "car wreck" while Global Times said the German car manufacturer has "hit the skids."

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Then again, the Chinese anger at Audi isn't so justified when considering that the "self-righteous, overly demanding mother" trope employed in the commercial is one that is overly used in Chinese culture. Shameless mothers with hard-to-satisfy demands have long served as a staple in Chinese TV dramas, but this cliche finally hit its cultural zeitgeist this past January.

That's when a dating show with a unique twist debuted on Chinese television. On this show, parents accompany an eligible bachelor or bachelorette and help them make decisions. But because choosing a wedding partner is such an important decision that must be made carefully, many of these parents can't help but act rudely and without tact. Parents shamelessly ask personal questions that would offend someone in normal company, while another mother reaches out to touch a contestant's hand — to see if her blood circulation meets the requirements of a fertile woman.

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At first raising controversy, the show went on to be a big hit with Chinese audiences, even inspiring a few copycat shows. And if to demonstrate no mistake to the subtle social commentary it provides, the show is called Chinese-Style Dating.

But a national TV show isn't the only place where Chinese parents impose their demands on their children. "Marriage markets" are commonly held in Chinese urban centers in which parents try to find suitable wedding partners for their children, simplifying them to basics like salary and home ownership. Instead of allowing their children to choose their husband or wife, these parents are attempting to make the choice for them.

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Meanwhile, much of the online anger directed at the German car maker comes despite the fact the commercial was made by the Chinese subsidiary of German automaker Audi FAW-Volkswagen. The difference between these two entities becomes even more pronounced when considering they have been feuding over brand partnering with new dealers in China, leading to a 12.2 percent drop in sales for the first half of this year.

To that end, foreign car makers have been given exceptional coverage by the Chinese media. Last November, the Daimler head of the China division Rainer Gartner resigned in disgrace after he was reported to have been involved in a racist road rage incident in which Gartner's identity and personal details were published in the Chinese media, but nothing about his accusers or witnesses was even mentioned.

This is not the first time Audi has offended the Chinese market. Last March, the company apologized for using a map of China that excluded the self-governed island province of Taiwan during a presentation.

It's clear that the Audi commercial has gone too far in its use of hyperbole. And, in hindsight, it's also clear that Audi should have thought twice about using the truth about China's overbearing mothers to sell its cars.

Watch the Audi car commercial here.

More stories from this author here.

Twitter: @Sinopath

Images: Caijing, Weibo, The Chinese News