A Japanese television news anchor was dismissed from her job and faced an online backlash after a controversial post in which she claimed that men’s body odour was “hard to endure”, and suggested they shower more often. Tokyo-based Yuri Kawaguchi, 29, is a freelance announcer known for her feminist views, who also works as a lecturer for harassment prevention training. On August 8, she took to X social networking platform, where she has about 13,000 followers, to voice her frustrations about men’s hygiene in summer, advising them to use deodorant and take showers to stay clean.
“I’m really sorry if there’s a personal situation, but the smell of men in the summer or the body odour of unsanitary people is so uncomfortable,” she wrote. “I want to be clean, so I take several showers a day, use freshening wipes, and apply sweat inhibitors year-round. I think more men should do this.
” Kawaguchi’s post, perceived as specifically targeting men, deeply offended many and led to accusations of gender discrimination. “Only blaming men is infuriating and undoubtedly discrimination. Women, especially older women, can have body odour too.
I’m really uncomfortable with this,” one male netizen said. Her post also prompted scrutiny of her private life, including her divorce, with some further labelling her a “materialistic woman out of touch with the struggles of ordinary people.” As the controversy escalated, Kawaguchi issued a public apology and removed the po.