Mnet’s dance reality competition Street Man Fighter recently faced severe criticism due to its producers’ allegedly sexist remarks. During a press conference on the day of the competition’s premiere on August 23, chief producer Kwon Yeong-chan commented on the different perspectives the male version offers compared to its predecessor, Street Woman Fighter.According to the Korea JoongAng Daily, the chief producer said that the male participants “displayed loyalty and pride more often” while the female participants displayed “jealousy and greed.”Kwon’s words and thoughts were termed highly problematic by netizens, and Kwon was criticized for being sexist and influenced by “gender stereotypes.”Comments criticizing the producer's remarks (Image via pannchoa)After the news made headlines on South Korean online forums, both international and domestic netizens praised Street Woman Fighter and said they would be boycotting the show.“SMF is all about toxic masculinity”: Netizens bash Street Man Fighter for its sexist and homophobic controversies알렉사💫@ALEXAsaki@pannchoa No SMF is all about TOXIC MASCULINITY and SEXIST MEN PRETENDING TO BE COOL.565@pannchoa No SMF is all about TOXIC MASCULINITY and SEXIST MEN PRETENDING TO BE COOL.Street Man Fighter has only released one episode but has already landed in trouble multiple times. The show’s producer, Kwon Yeong-chan, shared his opinion on the difference between the male and female versions, saying women were more jealous and greedy while men showed more loyalty and pride.In the same press conference, producer-director Choi Jeong-nam also said that the dance moves of this season’s participants were “definitely different” than the previous. He added,“[For 'Street Man Fighter'] We really focused on shooting the dance battle scenes. The power that the male dancers display is certainly different. I think that the audience will be touched by the solidarity and friendships of the male participants. We hope to successfully reflect these narratives on the screen."Both Kwon and Choi became the targets of online criticism. Viewers commented that they would not watch the show after learning about their sexist remarks.Low@dosierak@pannchoa Dude, just say you hate powerful women and go2853@pannchoa Dude, just say you hate powerful women and goseductressSOOJIN 🪁@SYSBAEBE@pannchoa bunch of homophobics are loyal and proud while the unproblematic powerful women are jealous and greedy yes @pannchoa bunch of homophobics are loyal and proud while the unproblematic powerful women are jealous and greedy 😍😍 yes 👏BlacPearl@Melcutezzz@pannchoa Lmao! From the 1st eps we can see that's all about jealousy and greed hahahaSWF that's true friendship in dancing world. Or it's just a script1@pannchoa Lmao! From the 1st eps we can see that's all about jealousy and greed hahahaSWF that's true friendship in dancing world. Or it's just a scriptWhile the fire raged after the producers’ comments, the first episode did not sit well with viewers either. This time, the show and its crews were accused of being homophobic towards one of the crews, Team EO-DDAE.Street Man Fighter, much like its predecessor, had an introductory segment where each dance crew is shown the criticisms thrown at them by participant crews. It’s a move viewers often say was scripted to make the competition raw, create buzz, and improve viewership.During that segment, dance crew EO-DDAE, an openly gay crew, was mocked by others after clips of their past shows were displayed. Netizens instantly disliked it and criticized Street Man Fighter as a gateway to toxic masculinity.Deepbrowneyes@Dandielonigot7This men call themselves ‘professional dancers’ yet they act like children and make fun of people that are brave enough to dance while expressing themselves freely. Boo-hoo are you that insecure? Was your stupid ‘masculinity’ affected? SHAME on you. #StreetManFighter #eoddae510201This men call themselves ‘professional dancers’ yet they act like children and make fun of people that are brave enough to dance while expressing themselves freely. Boo-hoo are you that insecure? Was your stupid ‘masculinity’ affected? SHAME on you. #StreetManFighter #eoddae https://t.co/woVvIyhXrUAdding fire to the fuel was another crew, Local Champs’ video exaggerating and mocking NewJeans’ Hype Boy. As per netizens, the main target was BLACK.Q, one of NewJean’s performance directors, who is also a part of team EO-DDAE.jana@utjhobithey did it to mock “New Jeans”, and to insult and be homophobic with EODDAE… I really hate these men3they did it to mock “New Jeans”, and to insult and be homophobic with EODDAE… I really hate these men https://t.co/wetwEr4BW4odessa ☻@hyeindollsNot only are they mocking hype boy they :1. tagged the girls2. said their debut failedYGX better make a statement, cuz this is bullsht - even if team eoddae choreographies for nwjns, the girls have nothing to do with street fighter? Weirdos. twitter.com/lovedive_sell/….@lovedive_sell스맨파 YGX 댄서 뉴진스 Hype Boy 조롱영상 올렸다가 삭튀.. 심지어 공계 태그해놓고 뉴찐따스 워딩?4019800스맨파 YGX 댄서 뉴진스 Hype Boy 조롱영상 올렸다가 삭튀..👀 심지어 공계 태그해놓고 뉴찐따스 워딩? https://t.co/P4uOnmPUMENot only are they mocking hype boy they :1. tagged the girls2. said their debut failedYGX better make a statement, cuz this is bullsht - even if team eoddae choreographies for nwjns, the girls have nothing to do with street fighter? Weirdos. twitter.com/lovedive_sell/…springkies@jekkibby2the reactions on SMF to Kinky dancing were so irritating tho“it’s a bit disgusting”“i won’t say anything bc if i do i’ll curse”“this is a bit uncomfortable i can’t watch”the toxic masculinity is so strong— LET ME TELL YOU, ANY TONGUE THAT RISES AGAINST EODDAE SHALL FALL1177402the reactions on SMF to Kinky dancing were so irritating tho“it’s a bit disgusting”“i won’t say anything bc if i do i’ll curse”“this is a bit uncomfortable i can’t watch”the toxic masculinity is so strong— LET ME TELL YOU, ANY TONGUE THAT RISES AGAINST EODDAE SHALL FALL https://t.co/htyIkDu5FEA@aysinnit@ultchenlin It’s MNET, they are looking for a narrative to push, seeing that all the groups are friends with each outside the show, this does seem scripted to me, mnet will do anything for views. That’s how you create buzz for the show.4@ultchenlin It’s MNET, they are looking for a narrative to push, seeing that all the groups are friends with each outside the show, this does seem scripted to me, mnet will do anything for views. That’s how you create buzz for the show.A@aysinnit@ultchenlin Especially coming from youngjoon was weird, he himself does feminine style dancing & has experience in dancing with heels and does gg choreographies, so I was like HUH??? This does look scripted the entire episode honestly, just seems quite cringe.3@ultchenlin Especially coming from youngjoon was weird, he himself does feminine style dancing & has experience in dancing with heels and does gg choreographies, so I was like HUH??? This does look scripted the entire episode honestly, just seems quite cringe.Street Man Fighter was produced after the impressive and unexpected success of Street Woman Fighter. The competition brought the South Korean dance crews to fame and gave viewers an insight into the music industry, which is often overshadowed by idol music.The competition show premiered on August 23, 2022, and airs weekly on Tuesdays on Mnet’s channels.