A shopping centre has been slammed for staging a competition to see how quickly contestants could unhook women's bras with one hand.

Anyone who could undo eight bras with one hand in under a minute won a shopping voucher to spend at the mall in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China. Eight women stood in a line on a stage, wearing only a bra and a face mask above the waist, for the event, reports the Guangzhou Daily.

Some of the watching crowd clapped and cheered as contestants successfully unfastened bras - but others were shocked by the event. One angry shopper, Zhang Zhengyi, complained: "This must have been the brainwave of a dirty old man - why would anyone want to take part in such a degrading spectacle?"

But a spokesman for the Modern Development shopping mall defended the competition which he said was to promote underwear awareness. "The workings of a women's bra are a mystery for many men - this activity helped more people understand bra culture and explore its secrets," he said.

Ironically, the competition was won by a woman who successfully unfastened eight bras in just 21 seconds. She did not wish to be identified but said: "I thought it was a lot of fun. I didn't expect to win - maybe it was because I get so much practice in my everyday life."

Eight in a minute? I can do that with my teeth!

The record was 3.28 seconds...

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