Hair Damage Fixed with a Cut, but Criticized as 'Femi'... "How Is This Different from the Taliban?" Backlash

Cheerleader Ha Ji-won Recently Shows Off 'Short Cut'
"Must Be Hard Dancing in Front of Hannam" Criticism Arises
Professor Lee Han-sang Says "Enough... Like Extreme Muslims"

LG Twins cheerleader Ha Ji-won / Photo by Ha Ji-won Instagram capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] The so-called 'short cut feminist' controversy, which has erupted mainly in online spaces, shows no signs of stopping. This time, LG Twins professional baseball cheerleader Ha Ji-won has come under fire for cutting her hair short.

Ha Ji-won was reportedly criticized by some netizens recently for sporting a short haircut. Looking at the comments she revealed, netizens sarcastically responded with remarks such as "We support you. Feminists, fighting," and "You must be having a hard time dancing in front of Korean men (Han-nam) even though you are a feminist."

Regarding the controversy, Ha Ji-won explained, "I am unrelated to feminism. My hair was damaged due to frequent dyeing, and I tried the short cut I wanted to try even before gender conflicts intensified during the sports game break."

Some netizens poured out criticism simply because Ha Ji-won had a 'short cut' hairstyle. / Photo by Ha Ji-won Instagram capture

The 'short cut feminist' controversy first arose around An San (20, Gwangju Women's University), a national archer who participated in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. At that time, an online community raised suspicions that An's short hairstyle meant she was a feminist. There were also comments that the short cut reminded people of 'Dalkorset' (the movement rejecting the sexual objectification of women), one of the feminist movements.

Eventually, some netizens posted malicious comments on An's personal Instagram account, such as "Gold medal feminist," "Ugly feminist," and "Explain your alleged misandry."

Amid this situation, voices from the political sphere are calling for self-reflection, saying "Enough is enough."

Female archery representative An San is shooting an arrow at the Tokyo Olympics women's archery team event held on the 25th of last month at the Yumenoshima Park Archery Field in Japan. / Photo by Yonhap News

Earlier, Justice Party lawmaker Ryu Ho-jung wrote on her Facebook at the time the controversy broke out, "Whenever a female politician's outfit or an athlete's hairstyle becomes a topic of debate, not only the person involved but also the women watching must be really tired," adding, "I also had a short cut for several years, but these days I am growing it out. I just wanted to."

Ryu also emphasized, "There is no such thing as a 'feminist-like' appearance," stating, "Women who choose long hair, short hair, dyed hair, or natural hair as they wish are feminists."

Professor Lee Han-sang of Korea University, who is assisting former Jeju Governor and People Power Party presidential candidate Won Hee-ryong, also wrote on Facebook on the 21st, "I don't know why people meddle whether someone shaves their head or dyes their hair blonde. Please stop it to some extent," and strongly criticized, "How is this different from extreme Muslims who say they will shoot anyone who doesn't wear hijabs, chadors, burqas, or niqabs? Don't act up in Seoul; go to Afghanistan and become a Taliban."

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