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Calls to boycott LG Household rise after partner's 'misandrist' tweets spark controversy

Published: 13 Feb. 2025, 16:37 Updated: 13 Feb. 2025, 16:50

CHO YONG-JUN
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LG Household & Health Care's On: The Body Cotton Foot Shampoo [LG HOUSEHOLD & HEALTH CARE]

X users are calling for boycotts of LG Household & Health Care after a partner of its foot care brand was accused of online misandry.

An account with the handle heunghacnayo on the platform, formerly known as Twitter, made post promoting LG's On: The Body Cotton Foot Shampoo on Friday, Feb. 7 that was labeled an advertisement. The account, which had more than 289,4000 followers as of press time, is notable for sharing jokes and memes.

On Saturday, however, the influencer drew the attention of predominantly male forums Fmkorea and DogDrip after tweeting that “Guys in the 160 centimeters [5 feet, 2 inches] range should not ask others to introduce them to a girl.” Members of those circles began circulating screenshots of the tweet, as well as a screen capture of a purported 2023 post reading “Where would I post misandrist comments other than Twitter?” the authenticity of which the Korea JoongAng Daily has been unable to verify.

The controversy ultimately reached LG Household & Health Care's customer service: The company said Tuesday on X that it had terminated its contract with heunghacnayo, noting that it had received “complaints filed through the customer center.”

“We were aware of the posts uploaded in online communities throughout the weekend and have talked with the account to delete the advertisement the same day,” On: The Body Cotton Foot Shampoo’s X post said.

LG Household & Health Care added in a separate post that the company “had no intention to trigger any gender conflicts” and was “unaware that the influencer was someone that posted misandrist topics.”

The controversial advertisement has since been deleted.

The official X account of On: The Body Cotton Foot Shampoo, which boasted more than 70,000 followers prior to the controversy, sits at 48,700 followers as of Thursday. The hashtag “Boycott Cotton Foot Shampoo” is also trending in Korea with 7,000 related posts.

Users on both sides of the conflict are now calling for boycotts: some condemning LG Household & Health Care for working with the influencer, and others for terminating the relationship.

The On: The Body Cotton Foot Shampoo lineup has gained popularity over the last couple of years for its apparent ability to cleanse nonfoot objects — users have shared experiences of using the foot shampoo to deal with insects and to clean their bikes.