(FILES) This file photo taken on March 2, 2017 shows the logo of online lodging service Airbnb displayed on a computer screen in Paris. Airbnb raised more than a billion dollars in a fresh funding round that valued the home-sharing startup at $31 billion, a source close to the company told AFP on March 9, 2017. Airbnb added $448 million to the $555 million in funding it took in last year, according to a filing Thursday with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. / AFP PHOTO / Lionel BONAVENTURE
Airbnb bans trolling, discrimination and profanity. Yet if you’re a female user, expect a few choice remarks about your looks while using it in China.
Once regarded as a fun social aspect of online services in China, the proliferation of reviews talking about women’s looks – from guests being called “a babe” to comments on a host’s sex appeal – is now drawing fire as a potential safety hazard. While China has long tolerated sexism, recent scandals in the sharing economy have triggered a backlash.
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