Winning three gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics South Korean archer An San had not only received applause for her achievement but also was criticised for dining short hair back home.
People abused 20-year-old San online for her "feminist" hairstyle, which is a term South Koreans associate with being a man-hater, reported BBC.
One comment on San's Instagram read, "We didn't train and feed you with tax money so that you can commit feminist acts."
"It's good she got gold but her short hair makes her seem like she's a feminist. If she is, I withdraw my support. All feminists should die," said another man in a post.
South Korea is a nation where beauty standards have been strict and intolerant especially for women who are accepted with long hair, considered as a symbol of conventional femininity.
Ryu Hyeong-rim, an activist with WomanLink said that the young archer's decision to wear short hair was viewed by some as "violating society's idea of what a woman should look like."
As San started facing abuse from online trolls, thousands of women stepped in support of the Olympian and defended her choice.
Also Read: Know what strategy Aditi Ashok followed to conquer long golf courses and to reach so far
The BBC reported that all over the country women have been sharing their pictures cutting their hair short as a part of a campaign backing the young medalist.
"Before and after" images are being shared in huge numbers with the hashtag #women_shortcut_campaign
The "#women_shortcut_campaign" was initiated by Han Jiyoung, who said that the idea for the campaign appeared after she came across the nasty comments that were thrown at the 20-year-old athlete who has brought laurels for the nation.
"This kind of mass attack... sends the message that men can control the female body and a message that females need to hide their feminist identity," she said.
Han Jiyoung said she thought starting this campaign to provide a platform to women where they can show off short hair and in solidarity with the "female Olympians would be effective in tackling both issues."
There is an increased hostility towards feminism in South Korea that has been hastened by competitions for University seats and jobs.
Also Read: Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Poland’s Dawid Tomala wins gold in men’s 50km race walk
A section of men in the Country feels that feminism is causing hindrance as they have to undergo 18 months of military service that they believe would obstruct their chance of getting ahead with opportunities.
However, South Korea still lies at the bottom of The Economist's glass ceiling Index. South Korean women only earn 63% of what men obtain.