The 'Ugly Baby' Divorce Hoax That Fooled the World
The viral divorce story that never happened
Key Facts
What Happened
In 2012, a story went viral claiming that a Chinese man named Jian Feng had divorced and successfully sued his wife for $120,000 after their baby was born ugly. According to the tale, Feng was horrified when his newborn daughter bore no resemblance to either parent. His wife then allegedly confessed to having undergone $100,000 in plastic surgery in South Korea before they met, concealing her natural appearance.
The story was picked up by dozens of major news outlets worldwide, including Fox News affiliates, ABC News, and the Huffington Post. A photograph of a family was attached to the story in 2012, giving it a veneer of credibility that fueled another wave of viral sharing. The narrative touched on anxieties about cosmetic surgery, deception in marriage, and cultural standards of beauty.
However, fact-checking website Snopes conclusively identified the story as a hoax. No court records, attorney statements, or verifiable details were ever produced. The photograph used in the story was actually from a cosmetic surgery advertisement that had no connection to any legal case. The story had been circulating in various forms since at least 2004, periodically resurfacing when news outlets ran it as a current event.
Despite being debunked, the Jian Feng case remains one of the most shared divorce stories on the internet. It serves as a cautionary tale about media literacy and the viral spread of legal misinformation. It also raises legitimate legal questions about fraud in the inducement of marriage, specifically whether concealing major cosmetic procedures before marriage could constitute grounds for annulment in various jurisdictions.
Legal Breakdown: Fraud in the inducement of marriage and how misinformation spreads in family law
Fraud in the Inducement of Marriage
While this case is fictional, the legal concept it raises is real. In many jurisdictions, a marriage obtained through fraud can be annulled. However, the threshold for fraud is high: the deception must relate to an essential aspect of the marriage (such as the ability to have children), not merely to personal appearance or cosmetic history.
Misrepresentation vs. Non-Disclosure
There is a legal distinction between actively lying about something and simply not volunteering information. Most family courts do not require spouses to disclose their complete medical or cosmetic history before marriage. The fictional case conflates these concepts in a way that does not reflect actual legal standards.
Misinformation and Legal Culture
The viral spread of this hoax illustrates how fabricated legal stories can shape public perception of family law. People may form expectations about their own divorce rights based on stories that have no basis in reality, leading to unrealistic demands or unnecessary fear in actual proceedings.
What This Means for Your Divorce
- →Viral legal stories should always be verified before being taken as precedent or guidance
- →Fraud as grounds for annulment has a very high legal threshold that appearance-based claims rarely meet
- →Media literacy is essential when consuming stories about family law, especially those that seem designed to provoke outrage
- →Legitimate legal questions about disclosure in marriage exist but are far more nuanced than viral stories suggest
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This article is based on publicly available court records, news reports, and legal analysis. It is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by reading this content.
Divorce laws vary by jurisdiction. Always consult a licensed attorney in your area before making legal decisions.