As we have already covered here on koreaBANG, the ladygate trend has been around for quite some time. And the trend has even evolved into the ‘Madam Kim‘ series [Madam Kim is not a specific person, but rather the name given to any incompetent female driver]. In contrast, the ‘mangate’ hasn’t caught on as much as the phenomenal ladygate.
Whilst the following article tries to explain why such a phenomenon [that is of exposing, naming and shaming Korean women acting badly] is prevalent on the Korean Internet and reflects voices of both men and women, netizen comments show a quintessential example of a male-dominant online discourse.
From Segye Ilbo:
Whenever bean-paste girls come up, netizens flood the Internet with with ‘That’s what Korean women do’ comments
‘Perhaps the wife has done something wrong to get beaten up’
A corporate worker, Ms. Park (29) was stunned by Internet comments on a newspaper article. The article was about a housewife in her thirties killing her husband out of domestic violence. And its comments were mostly misogynistic, saying that ‘the wife deserves to get beaten up’. Ms Park pointed out ‘the comments were full of flat-out hatred on women,’ and ‘it gave me a chill to think of those comments might be in fact the ugly truth of Korean men.’
Online misogyny is spiralling out of control in the Korean Internet, which is not in line with the social progress of women’s rights. Some with distorted views on gender equality are fanning hatred on women.
Segye Ilbo journalists found 5 or 6 misogynistic websites as of July 20th. These websites claim they are working for ‘real gender equality’, yet their articles seem to consist of blind accusations and swear toward women, rather than legitimate arguments. There were so many slutty remarks referring women’s private parts that we were no longer able to read those articles.
Even if we try to ignore those cusses, the content could not be related to men as it is for women. This included ‘Korean girls are so obsessed with plastic surgery and luxury goods; they are even willing to sell their bodies to pay for those obsessions’, ‘Women are narrow-mind. They are used to self-rationalization with such selfish, shallow minds’, and during the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island , ‘Women are only interested in cosmetics. They don’t have any gaenyom’ referring to with popular search words at that time.
Such atmosphere perhaps gave birth to recent popular video series of ‘ladygates’ or ‘Madam Kim series’. In those videos and pictures, women are depicted with either lack of morality or driving skills; the related news articles have internet comments like ‘That’s exactly what women do.’
Most experts explain such internet phenomenon as a transitional phase of gender relations. As women’s rights keep improving, some men are bombarding their discontented feelings on the Internet, taking advantage of its anonymity.
There is no collective explanation for such phenomenon among women. A university student, Ms. Kim (24) said ‘Whenever I see misogynistic comments on the internet, gender equality in Korea seems too far away’, and a corporate worker Ms. Kang (31) pointed out that ‘Some ladies think it’s okay to make guys pay everything when on a date, while weaselling out from difficult tasks at work. Those ladies make us all guilty of such obnoxious behaviours.’
A wedding business, ‘Gayeon’ recently asked to 150 adult males, ‘When do you think it feels unfair to be a man?’ And the biggest portion of them (54%) answered, ‘When men have to pay for dating costs and a house when they get married.’
Professor Ham In-hui at Ewha Woman’s University said that ‘Men ought to stop feeling victimised due to the progress in women’s rights, whilst women ought to embrace responsibilities that accompany their rights,’ and added ‘Both men and women have to realize that they depend on each other as partners, thinking about the true meaning of gender equality.’
Comments from Daum:
Carry_me_back:
Ladies, you want gender equality? Enlist in the army!
민주고양이:
Not all women are hated, some gaenyom-less boseuls are; and the rest of them feel like they also share the blame.
Poipoi:
I’m a woman, yet I find this trend understandable. Especially the Madam Kim episodes… Those women really are despicable human beings. They are blamed for their obnoxious behaviours, not their gender.
즐거운 마음으로:
There really are too many weird ladies. They’re selfish and trouble makers. I hate their ‘me-first’ attitude so much.
Krrrr:
I’m not swearing at women, though it’s fascinating to see most senseless drivers are 99% females. It’s from first-hand experience.
Andrew:
Israeli women serve 2 years for the military; are they infertile for some reasons? [meaning that having to give birth to babies is not an excuse for not serving the military]
1439123:
They offer their cheap bodies to Yankees.. They claim they’re studying English, yet in fact they’re just whores dedicated to rubbish, not-highly-educated, criminal native English teachers. ke Korean women even go abroad to work as prostitutes, talking bullshit they will study there. Ke Can you get a master’s degree with your vagina? ke ke They also fabricate their academic records and when they meet Korean guys, they somehow transform themselves into elegant ladies, hiding their true colours — dirty as sewage water and as vicious as insects and parasites. I’m sick of their pretentious attitude!
으흠흠:
On the Internet, there only seems to be machos bitching about women. But in real life, such machos don’t exist. Why? With such attitude, they might get dumped by their girlfriends and wives. In other words, in compensation for not being able to talk about such thoughts in front of women, they’re letting it out on the internet. They say ‘those sluts are senseless blah blah’ on the internet; when they go sogeting, they voluntarily pay for dinner and offer the ladies rides, smiling as if they’re gentlemen. ke ke ke
편안한분:
I’m so sick of dependent, needy Korean women. Marriage is horrible. Hey bachelors, you might as well live alone. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life as my wife’s ATM machine
달그리메:
One of my acquaintances is a chief manager of a business, and you know what? He said he rarely hires female employees. Why? Women usually don’t work overtime, yet when they quit, they’ll demand every penny for their work without regard of training her successors. He therefore usually hires male employees because women are not trustworthy. And I sometimes meet drivers having parked in front of front gates or not promptly moving when a traffic light changes; when taking a look at them, 99% of them are women.
박희훈:
There aren’t only bean-paste girls. There’s a wide variety of ‘ladygates’, which is an indication that there aren’t many women with gaenyom. tsk tsk tsk
가이포크스:
The Constitution of the Republic of Korea, article 39: All citizens have to fulfil their military duty. Why aren’t women serving their duties? Whoever you are, isn’t it right to obey the constitution? You want extra credits when applying for a job then serve the military. I don’t see a more serious issue around women.
horror:
They have it coming, why should it be criticized?? Why aren’t there any articles on male-hating posts on internet communities that are mostly women-dominated?
열혈남아:
When those stupid feminists scraped the extra credit system [it gives extra credits for those who served the military when they apply for public sector jobs], the war between Korean guys and you feminist bitches began. Think of what you’ve done.
박희훈:
These kinds of articles will result in even more anti-feminists tsk tsk Online misogyny has been around like forever, you idiot!
정의로운세상:
Ah you stupid.. Bean-paste girl is a term for gaenyom-less women who only find designer brands are acceptable. About Madam Kim series.. we blame them for their absurd mentality, which leads to most unlikely car accidents or shameless driving against the tide. Of course there are pathetic guys with inferior complex, yet that doesn’t justify women’s outrageous behaviour these days.
Niev:
Oh yeah, it’s misogynistic to swear at Kimchi girls. Those bitches don’t behave properly even when they aren’t home. They keep holding their freaking heads high without any remorse.
초딩생각:
Korean girls with designer brand obsession would not buy luxurious items once their brand logos are invisible. Those girls want to brag they can afford such expensive goods. Designer brands would not do well without feeding those egos.
달그리메:
You know what? They say it’s the age of gender equality, yet they expect us to pay for dating cost, house rental fees to live with and cars; they don’t appreciate the time we spend during the military service whilst voicing up against the extra credit system. If we don’t put up with this unfair reality, they would brand us as ‘incompetent, narrow-minded guys’. Guys are expected to do all the dirty, dangerous, scary, and difficult jobs. What the hell????
백곰:
Korean girls are shallow, selfish animals. Jewellery, cosmetics, purses and fashion items are their only interests. I haven’t seen any women reading newspapers. Wherever they go, they always demand their rights, the military service best represents such attitude. When women drive, they park wherever they want and do their businesses. When I see such women walking shamelessly, I feel nauseating. Their ‘equality’ is only applied to pay-cheques, not to difficult tasks at work; when guys point out such issues, they ridicule us. They prevent us from visiting brothels, though they spread their legs for Yankee English teachers.
