A natural-ingredient dermocosmetics brand has come under fire over a collaboration with internet streamer BJ Gwagjuice Seyeon, as a statement circulating online from a group defending her has fueled further debate.
On the 24th, the Korea Cyber Sexual Violence Response Center, known in Korean as Hansaseong, saw its statement widely shared on online communities and social media. Titled “We Reject the Divide Between ‘Aboveground’ and ‘Underground,’” it criticizes attacks on female streamers and the broader social stigma surrounding them.
The group cited recent cases in which criticism spread against a female BJ who partnered with a cosmetics brand, prompting the company to issue an apology. “Similar incidents keep repeating,” it said, arguing that social labeling persists against certain content creators. It also pointed to past instances in which TV appearances or brand partnerships were canceled after complaints.
Hansaseong said there is a perception that women who earn money using sexual expression should “remain underground,” calling that a discriminatory standard that divides what is considered normal from abnormal. “Judging women by their sexuality and ranking them is a problem,” it said, adding that such views “can lead to secondary harm” against victims of sexual violence.
The statement also said demanding that certain people be excluded from society and pushed out of sight amounts to hatred, and it stressed that diverse women should be able to participate in society on equal terms.
The statement drew substantial criticism online. Some users said it goes too far to label all criticism of profiting from sexual content as hatred, while others argued it is a logical leap to frame issues of free expression and consumer choice solely as discrimination.
Other commenters said it is inappropriate to place debates over social acceptance on the same level as issues involving sexual violence victims, and that interpreting corporate marketing decisions and consumer reactions as “exclusion” is inconsistent.
Founded in 2017, the Korea Cyber Sexual Violence Response Center describes itself as a women’s rights group. Its main activities include opposing illegal filming and requesting the removal of such material. It is not known to be a government agency, and it has previously defended Megalia and Womad.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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