Married At First Sight: Mike Gunner blames 'toxic feminism' for backlash

Married At First Sight contestant Mike Gunner has copped a lot of flak for his treatment of women on the reality show.

Now he's hit back and has blamed "a shift in consciousness of the public toward men which favours women" for any criticism he's received, news.com.au reported.

"Unfortunately, that's the double standard that seems to be occurring at the moment and I personally take umbrage to it, and I refuse to accept that I cannot use words (like 'darling') that were terms of endearment only a couple of years ago that now are suddenly seen as something offensive," he told The Sydney Morning Herald.

"I have done a lot of interviews and I have received a lot of criticism," he continued. "I received comments like, I am 'gaslighting', I am a 'narcissist', but other people's insecurities don't concern me. If they want to cast labels like that on me then that is a reflection of their own poor judgment, not mine."

Mike at his wedding to Heidi Latcham on MAFS Australia. Photo / Supplied

On this season of Married At First Sight, Mike was involved in several dinner party clashes with Jessika and his confrontational attitude was a major issue for his "wife", Heidi.

"Are you telling me that men can't stand up for themselves?" Mike told The Sydney Morning Herald about his behaviour on the show.

"Are men now so emasculated that we can't speak our minds? That we can't be real? That we have to somehow fulfil the expectations of those around us?

"I simply refuse to do that and I am speaking on behalf of all men in this country," he said.

Mike added that some of the blame should be attributed to women with "strong personalities" who have "undertones of toxic feminism".