China Gen Z nurtures stuffed toys like real babies, celebrates birthdays, shows affection

A new “parenting” trend in China is seeing young women embrace “painless motherhood” by raising cotton dolls as their own children. The toy-caring fad even extends to celebrating their “children’s” birthdays at hotpot restaurants, buying expensive clothes and even taking them on holidays. The trend gained attention in October 2023, when a woman took her cotton dolls to the popular hotpot chain Haidilao and made a viral post titled: “Is Haidilao Discriminating Against Cotton Doll Owners?”. In the...