Li Bingbing reported, Reyizha apologizes—where should celebrities' right to reputation go?

[3] Compiled from: Shenzhen Evening News, The Paper
 
[4] Incident One: Li Bingbing’s Video Reported and Removed, Reason Allegedly Revealing Attire
[5] On December 14, Li Bingbing announced her official debut on Douyin and posted her first video, "So, do you get what 'Sister Li' means?" The video quickly attracted widespread attention, but was subsequently reported by netizens.

 
 

The netizen who reported Li Bingbing is a pediatrician. He believes Li Bingbing's attire in the video was inappropriate and overly revealing. He stated, "I am a pediatrician and have a lot of contact with children. I worry that as a public figure, dressing too revealingly could have a negative impact on teenagers and lead them astray." Douyin's platform also approved the report and imposed corresponding penalties on Li Bingbing.
 
On December 20, Li Bingbing's studio issued a statement on Weibo. The statement pointed out that the video had been pre-reviewed by the platform before release, confirming no violations, and the reportedly flagged video is still viewable, proving it complies with platform standards.
 
The studio also stated that evidence of alleged infringement has been collected, and legal action will be taken against malicious reporters who insult or defame Li Bingbing.
 
 
Incident 2: Reyizha lost her reputation rights lawsuit and publicly apologized to netizens.
In 2019, a netizen posted on Weibo calling Reyizha an "exhibitionist" and accusing her of "using depression for publicity." Reyizha reposted the Weibo with the caption: "Let me see who else dares to curse me directly? I'll call them out myself!"

 

This led to a reputation rights lawsuit between the two parties. The court's first-instance ruling held that Reyizha, as a public figure, made inflammatory remarks that incited fans and netizens to engage in online harassment. Reyizha appealed. Recently, the second-instance ruling upheld the original decision, stating that both parties were at fault and must apologize to each other.
 
On the evening of December 20, 2021, Reyizha posted an apology on Weibo stating: "On October 14, 2019, this account used provocative words to comment on my depression. At that time, I was suffering from depression and had stopped taking antidepressants due to pregnancy, which led to emotional失控. I reposted Hardcore Pea's Weibo and made some inappropriate remarks. I once again apologize to Hardcore Pea for my impulsive behavior at that time. Everyone is equal before the law, and I have realized that when encountering problems, one should not act impulsively but should leave them to the law for judgment. As a public figure, I understand that while doing my job well, I must also be cautious in my words and actions."
 
 
Civil Code of the People's Republic of China
Article 1024: [Right to Reputation]
Civil subjects enjoy the right to reputation. No organization or individual may infringe upon others’ right to reputation by means of insult, defamation, or the like.
Reputation refers to the social evaluation of a civil subject’s moral character, prestige, talent, credit, and the like.
 
Article 1025: [Limitations on the Right to Reputation]
Where a person engages in news reporting, public opinion supervision, or similar activities for the public interest, thereby affecting another person's reputation, they shall not bear civil liability, except in any of the following circumstances:
(1) Fabricating or distorting facts;
(2) Failing to fulfill the duty of reasonable verification regarding seriously inaccurate content provided by others;
(3) Using insulting language or other means to degrade another person's reputation.

 
 

 
[1] The author's perspective
Both of the above cases are related to the reputation rights of celebrities. Since celebrities have higher visibility than ordinary people, they are subject to more public scrutiny, and some remarks unfavorable to their image can easily lead to reputation lawsuits. In the Li Bingbing case, a netizen reported her video because they thought her outfit was too "revealing." Compared to Douyin's regulations on this matter, Li Bingbing's appearance in the video was not actually considered revealing. Of course, the act of reporting itself did not violate the law, but the reporter was smug after the report succeeded and publicly announced it. Therefore, if the final assessment determines that the video complies with regulations, the reporter may have damaged Li Bingbing's reputation and will bear corresponding legal responsibility.
 
Looking at the Reyizha incident, initially, netizens' comments such as "exhibitionist" and "using depression for publicity" were indeed inappropriate. However, due to her fiery personality, Reyizha directly confronted them online, creating conflict between fans and other netizens. Because she is a public figure, her influence naturally differs from that of ordinary people, so the court ruled that Reyizha and the netizen should apologize to each other. This shows that due to the nature of the celebrity profession, their privacy rights, reputation rights, and influence are inherently different from those of ordinary people. When handling cases involving this special group, extra caution is needed to both protect celebrities' rights and prevent such rights from being arbitrarily expanded. Additionally, online platforms acting as intermediaries must stay vigilant, strictly control published content, and rigorously supervise platform operations, rather than turning a blind eye and acting as absentee managers.