A group of Chinese social media influencers who posed as “Middle Eastern princesses” to promote luxury lifestyle products have had their accounts suspended on mainland social media platforms, the South China Morning Post reported. The move garnered widespread attention online, with many users criticizing the influencer’s deceptive marketing tactics.
One such influencer, Luo Jialing, a popular Douyin Key Opinion Leader (KOL) with 100,000 followers, wears a gold evening dress and a striking jade necklace at a luxurious villa. He shared a video of himself appearing in front of him and standing next to him. An Arab-looking man. Ms Luo claimed her husband, a young prince from a wealthy and influential Saudi family, was more than four months pregnant.
She also mentioned plans to move to Saudi Arabia with her husband soon, and revealed that she is selling “hundreds of millions of dollars of assets” at a loss in China to give back to her fans. During the livestream, Luo promoted a variety of products, including “French perfume” and “British Royal Laundry Detergent,” all priced under 50 yuan (approximately Rs. 7,582). However, many viewers questioned the authenticity of the story, asking, “Why are the prince and princess selling ordinary items instead of luxury items?” Anyone who expressed such doubts was immediately removed from the livestream by the organizers.
Another influencer appeared in a luxury car, wearing traditional Middle Eastern costume and a scarf, alongside the “Prince of Dubai.” She announced that she was divorcing her husband and would sell off her merchandise at a discount to liquidate her assets. During her live broadcast, 300 pairs of stockings priced at 6 yuan were sold, as well as more than 1,000 orders for 2 kg of British laundry detergent priced at 6.99 yuan each.
China cracks down on influencers
The state-run China Youth Daily reported that these influencers hired foreign actors to impersonate princes and princesses and sell low-quality products. Their accounts were eventually banned and their products removed from sale. The exact penalties they received were not disclosed.
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In response to the controversy, Dubai’s Chinese community DXBcom issued a statement clarifying that members of royal families from Arab countries do not allow livestream sales in China.
The viral trend of the “Princess of the Middle East” livestream has sparked widespread discussion across mainland social media. “These influencers are taking advantage of fans’ admiration and curiosity about the successful and wealthy elite,” one netizen shared on Weibo. Another user added: “My mother once bought a 30 yuan (US$4) perfume from a so-called princess, and it smelled awful. Don’t be fooled by cheap offers. This was clearly targeted at elderly people with poor judgment. It’s a scam.”
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This phenomenon has also attracted the attention of legitimate Chinese influencers who are married to individuals from Middle Eastern countries. One influencer known as the “Saudi Lou Sister” has amassed 2.55 million followers on Douyin after sharing her journey to starting a perfume brand with her husband in Saudi Arabia. She commented, “There aren’t that many so-called rich tycoons in the Middle East. True aristocrats tend to be reserved and don’t use social media often.”
