Shocking Number Of Female Stars At “SMTOWN” Sparks Heated Reactions
The gender split of artists at the first overseas stop on the SMTOWN LIVE 2025 tour has once again sparked widespread criticism among fans.
SM Entertainment kicked off its international tour in Mexico City this week, with 15 acts from the company performing at Estadio GNP Seguros on May 9. Within that lineup, however, fans were surprised to see just how few women took the stage.
@smtown_official SMTOWN LIVE 2025 @ MEXICO CITY Highlights #SMTOWN #SM_30thAnniversary #SMTOWN2025 #SMTOWN2025_MEXICO_CITY #SMTOWN_LIVE #SMCU
The event featured three members of Red Velvet (following Wendy and Yeri’s departure from SM Entertainment earlier this year), along with all members of aespa and Hearts2Hearts. In total, that meant just 15 female idols took part in the concert.
In stark contrast, 60 male idols filled out the rest of the lineup across TVXQ, Super Junior, SHINee, EXO, NCT, RIIZE, the SMTR25 trainees, and new British boy group Dear Alice — a 4-to-1 male-to-female ratio that has left many girl group fans frustrated.
The disparity became even more pronounced during the event’s closing segment. Only nine female artists appeared for the ending stage, as six Hearts2Hearts members could not participate due to restrictions on working hours for minors.
i censored all the men for eye comfort 🫶 pic.twitter.com/Fq9lfhIAdU
— dawn 💙⭐️ (@imswerpy) May 10, 2025
This isn’t the first time fans have pointed out the disparity. The issue first emerged during the South Korea leg of the tour in January, which featured even fewer female artists. Just 10 women performed in Seoul, though the first concert represented more girl groups (with members of S.E.S and Girls’ Generation appearing as well as Red Velvet and aespa).
there’s literally only 10 women in the smtown concert
S.E.S – bada
girls’ generation – hyoyeon
red velvet – irene, seulgi, joy, yeri
aespa – karina, giselle, winter, ningning
what do you mean we can LITERALLY count on our fingers the female artists that will be attending?— nicole 🌊 (@baechustokki) January 6, 2025
Many SM Entertainment fans say this is part of a larger pattern at the agency, stating that female idols seem to experience worse treatment under the company than their male counterparts.
can they create an sm subsidiary that focuses only on women since they already have one for men https://t.co/eZTdrjWqBw
— ً (@terybluu) May 10, 2025
Earlier this week, for example, the announcement of Joy’s upcoming solo release ignited frustrations when fans pointed out that no Red Velvet member has released a full album as a soloist or in a unit. At the same time, junior male artists in the company have already achieved this milestone.
i’m starting to notice a pattern pic.twitter.com/AO9knGaHT1
— ecco (@loonapilld) May 7, 2025
