China has banned 'erotic' banana-eating live streams https://t.co/iZH9LHjBltpic.twitter.com/6d2uCqHQMe
— BBC Newsbeat (@BBCNewsbeat) May 6, 2016
Bananas have long been a phallic food, even if they've been surpassed by the eggplant in the emoji era as of late.
But that doesn't mean the Chinese government isn't still worried about them. So worried, in fact, that China recently banned live streams of people erotically eating bananas, according to the BBC.
The government is worried that erotic banana-eating is "inappropriate," also banning videos that show people dressed in stockings and suspenders.
It is up to live streaming sites—many of which are hugely popular in China—to enforce the ban, according to the BBC.
As one might expect, most of the people doing the eating are young women, while most of the people doing the viewing are men, apparently from a broad range of ages.
The state-controlled CCTVNewsalso claims that some of the most popular live streamers have begun to make quite a bit of money, including one woman who makes ¥1 million annually, or around $150,000 a year.
As some on Chinese social media have pointed out, the ban doesn't appear to cover other foods, like, say, the eggplant. Or a cucumber. Or a hot dog. Or ... nevermind.
Back to the banana for a moment: Is it possible (or legal) to eat one on camera in a non-erotic way? I think we can say it's definitely possible. Legal, though, in China? Perhaps no longer.