Belly Flop

The latest edition of Private Eye has a true story in its Funny Old World column about the lengths some people will go to in China - to bag a seat on the crowded subway.

FUNNY OLD WORLD

"These silicone stomachs are sold as acting props," a spokesman for the Liyuan Industrial and Commercial Bureau told reporters in Beijing, "and are intended for actresses who are pretending to be pregnant."

"However, Ms Zhang paid 300 yuan (£30) for a prothetic preegnant belly so she could gain sympathy from passengers on the subway, and be given a seat on even the most crowded trains."

"It is shameful that she milked sympathy from her fellow passengers in this way, but what is worse, when the fake stomach fell off during one subway journey, she lodged a complaint with us, complaining about the poor quality of the prosthetic belly."

In her complaint against Taobao.com (who had sold her the prothesis), Ms Zhang pointed out that "the advertisement claimed that these fake silicone stomachs are very realistic, and could enable a woman to pretend to be pregnant,. Since most subway trains in Beijing are overcrowded, I bought one so I would be able to get a seat each day, and at first it worked.

"But after a few weeks, the belt tying it to my waist came loose, the fake belly dropped to the floor, and I was subjected to mockery by other passengers."  

However, the bureau rejected her complaint, saying that "the belly was never advertised as being suitable for daily use." And they added "who exactly is demonstrating poor quality? The manufacturer or Ms Zhang.

(Beijing News, 27/2/13. Spotter: Brendan J. O'Byrne)