"Dislike Men Who Smell in Summer" Remark... Agency Notifies 'Contract Termination'
Misandry vs Excessive Punishment... Japanese Netizens 'Buzzing'
Japanese freelance announcer Kawaguchi Yuri sparked controversy by posting a message stating that she "dislikes men who smell bad in the summer." [Photo by Online Community]
Japanese freelance announcer Kawaguchi Yuri sparked controversy with her remark that she "dislikes smelly men in the summer," and after her agency terminated her contract, netizens have been engaged in heated debates.
On the 11th, Japanese media Oricon News reported, "Kawaguchi Yuri was notified of contract termination by her agency due to inappropriate posts on her X (formerly Twitter)."
Earlier, on the 8th, Kawaguchi posted on her X, "I sincerely apologize if this is a personal matter, but the smell of men in summer or the characteristic body odor of unhygienic people is very uncomfortable. I always want to maintain cleanliness, so I shower several times a day and use sweat-wiping sheets and antiperspirants all year round. I wish many men would do at least this much," which sparked controversy.
As the controversy continued, on the 11th, Kawaguchi’s agency released a statement saying, "Kawaguchi wrote inappropriate posts on social networking services (SNS) that defamed the honor of the opposite sex. We judged it difficult to maintain the contract and notified her of contract termination."
"What does smell have to do with gender?"... Clear Misogyny
After reading the agency’s statement, netizens engaged in heated debates.
Some netizens raised their voices, saying, "Smell has nothing to do with gender. Pointing out only men’s smell is clear misogyny." Comments such as "Women’s perfume smells are more disgusting," "Do they think men don’t wash?" "It’s natural to terminate the contract for an announcer with such views," "If a man said that to a woman, he would have been punished more severely," and "She’s being criticized because she’s a man" followed.
"Just telling to maintain cleanliness"... Not Misogyny
On the other hand, some netizens argued that the agency’s action was excessive, saying, "Isn’t she just telling people to maintain cleanliness?" "She only said that to people who don’t wash; how is that defaming men’s honor?" "I don’t know if it’s wrong enough to terminate the contract," "It’s really hard to tolerate smells in summer," and "From now on, no celebrities will be able to use SNS."
Meanwhile, on the 11th, Kawaguchi apologized regarding the controversy, saying, "I reflect on the fact that some people were hurt by my careless remarks," and "As someone who works with words, I was immature. From now on, I will make sure not to hurt anyone with my words."
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