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The short haircut of South Korean archer An San, who has won two gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics, has attracted anti-feminist sentiment at home.  

San won two gold medals for Team Korea at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but rather than being lauded for her achievements, the 20-year-old female archer is being criticized for the length of her hair.

It all started when a post by a predominantly male online community gained traction  after San's second gold medal win on Saturday.

The post titled 'Women who attend women's universities and have a short cut are 90 percent likely to be feminist' labeled An a feminist, something which the members of the group frown upon.  

An San (far right) was criticized in her homeland for having short hair despite her successes in Tokyo

This post written by a predominantly male online community gained traction in South Korea

The damaging post came after San's coach blocked reporters from asking 'unnecessary' questions on Thursday, apparently aware of the controversy.

An herself said she would answer only questions related to the Games, even before a reporter finished a question about the online hostility. 

Meanwhile, more than 6,000 photographs of South Korean women with short hair were posted on social media platforms to show support for An, according to local reports.

Archers An San (left) and her teammate Kim Je-deok (right) won South Korea's first gold medals

Many women back in South Korea have posted message of support towards San

Many well-known South Korean celebrities also came out to condemn the comments.

'With that firm look, please shoot through every prejudice in the world. We stand by your short-cut hair and support you,' Sim Sang-jung, a lawmaker from a minority Justice Party, said in a tweet.

Another post urged people to call the Korea Archery Association to defend An from online hatred. Its website was flooded by at least 1,500 messages in support of her, according to AFP.   

More than 6,000 pictures of South Korean women with short hair were posted on social media platforms to show support for An

More than 300 requests have been posted on the Korea Archery Association’s website to protect An from hate comments and not force her to apologise for anything

Online abuse, calling San's hairstyle 'feminist', comes against a backdrop of rising anti-feminist sentiment among South Korean young men. 

Young women in South Korea have enjoyed unprecedented campaigning successes in recent years -- fighting to legalise abortion and organising a widespread #MeToo movement, while also taking action against spycam videos secretly filmed in public places, which led to the largest women's rights demonstrations in Korean history.

There have also been protests against the country's strict beauty standards -- with campaigners sharing viral videos of themselves cropping their hair short and smashing up their make-up products.

But it has also triggered a strong backlash in the country, and feminism is often framed as selfish, and anti-men.