Is there really such a thing as an “ugly baby?”
Everyone hopes for their babies to be the cutest ever seen, and many parents love their children so much that they genuinely believe it. Yet, there’s a viral story of a man who sued his wife after she birthed “ugly children.”
This story first began circulating as early as 2004. It focuses on a Chinese man, Jian Feng, who allegedly divorced and sued his wife after she gave birth to an ugly baby girl.
At that time, Heilongjiang Morning Post published that Feng’s wife had gone to South Korea and undergone extensive cosmetic surgery to transform her unattractive appearance. She allegedly had never communicated her past to him, but the “secret” was revealed when she gave birth to their first baby, who was “ugly.” He then allegedly sued and divorced her over claims of “deceit.”
Yet, it was nearly a decade later, in 2012, when this story really circulated the internet, going viral. It was then that a picture of the alleged family was attached to it. Many news outlets, such as MSN and FOX, picked up the story, claiming that the man successfully sued his ex-wife, winning $120,000 USD. The image included in these reports for “proof” included three kids, and the stories reported multiple “children” rather than just a “baby girl.” Even the oldest child is a boy, not a girl. That alone should have called into question its authenticity.
This famous photo, which aided the story in going viral, is indeed unrelated to the now infamous “news” of the man divorcing and suing his wife over their ugly kids. This family photo is actually from a Taiwanese ad for a plastic surgery clinic from 2012. It’s Taiwanese model Heidi Yeh (also known as Ye Wan Cheng), and the pictured children were digitally edited to make them appear “ugly.” The ad read, “The only thing you’ll ever have to worry about is how to explain it to the kids.” Heidi Yeh reportedly filed a lawsuit after the photo went viral as it was misappropriation, damaging her career and ruining her life.
Not only is this photo totally unrelated to the infamous story. None of it is true. Its origins are a single-source item printed in the unreputable Chinese newspaper Heilongjiang Morning Post, which is “known for publishing urban-legend like tales without verification, such as its fictitious story about a man who arranged to meet his online girlfriend for their first “real” date only to discover that she was his son’s wife.” Still, the newspaper has since apologized for publishing its viral story without verification of facts.
Stories like this are often created to teach a lesson of morals, and as is the case with many urban legends, many misunderstand and believe it to be factual.
