"Do Makeup at Home": Malaysian Ministry of Women Faces Controversy Over Sexist COVID-19 Prevention Advice

A part of the poster in which the Malaysian Ministry of Women recommends doing makeup at home. Photo by Malaysian Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Min Jun-young] The Malaysian government has drawn criticism for releasing a sexist 'COVID-19 prevention guideline.'

According to local media such as The Star on the 1st, the Malaysian Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development recently posted a poster titled 'COVID-19 Prevention for Women' on social media platforms like Instagram. The poster advised, "Women should not stay at home in casual clothes but should wear makeup and dress properly."

Another poster urged, "When your husband makes a mistake, speak with humor by imitating the playful voice of Doraemon, and avoid nagging."

The third poster instructed, "Even if women are angry, they should first count from 1 to 20."

Lastly, a scene showing a man sitting on a sofa included a message asking women, "Do not criticize him for not helping with housework; kindly teach him."

Netizens who saw the posters unanimously criticized them as "filled with extremely sexist content."

They also questioned the relevance of makeup to COVID-19 prevention. On the other hand, some men fueled the controversy by claiming the posters pointed out mistakes women do not notice.

After the controversy intensified following the poster's release, the Malaysian Ministry of Women apologized, stating, "We will maintain a more cautious stance in the future," and deleted the posters.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.