If you’re in China, you’ve probably seen the yellow army, weaving through traffic, delivering everything from late-night mala xiangguo to your morning coffee. Meituan riders are an iconic fixture of urban China. But this past week, a new uniform design popped up in Chongqing, sending the internet into a frenzy and leaving everyone scratching their heads.
The viral image? A rider, clad in what looked unmistakably like Meituan’s signature yellow, sporting the rather… unconventional slogan: “Click the male model, go to the Meituan app.” Naturally, netizens went wild. “Meituan has this kind of business now?” “Is this even legal?” were just a few of the bewildered comments flooding social media. Curious fingers scrolled through the app, searching for these elusive “male models,” only to find… nothing.
Turns out, this wasn’t some audacious new Meituan venture into the gig economy’s more unconventional corners. Da Wan News reached out to the food delivery giant, who swiftly confirmed what many suspected: these uniforms are 100% unofficial. They’re knock-offs, cooked up on e-commerce platforms, completely divorced from Meituan’s branding.
Meituan‘s been on the offensive, cracking down on counterfeit gear and working with law enforcement to tackle these rogue uniform manufacturers. It’s a wild reminder of how easily brand perception can be hijacked in the digital age, especially when a few enterprising (and perhaps mischievous) folks decide to put their own spin on an established look. It also speaks to the power of a uniform—even a fake one —to instantly grab attention and spark a whole new urban legend.
Could all this also stem from the fetishization of food delivery drivers—a cultural moment that we reported on a few years ago? Whatever the reason, the next time you spot a Meituan rider, give them a second glance. Just make sure they’re not promising any male models on demand. Unless, of course, that’s your actual order.
Cover image via The Japan Times.
