In 2024 freedom over one’s own body shouldn’t be too much to ask for, however with the recent re-
election of Donald Trump, women across America face a time of uncertainty about what this means
for their right to reproductive freedom.
In the wake of the election there has been a significant rise in sexist and abusive attacks on social
media platforms, according to analysis from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue slogans such as “get
back in the kitchen” and “your body, my choice” have seen a significant increase since Trump’s
reelection. This increase in hate was not only seen online, with protesters at Texas Sate University
waving signs branding women as ‘property’ and using homophobic slogans. Although incredibly
shocking, it is not entirely surprising that this rhetoric is being presented on social media following
the election. Trump has consistently degraded and disrespected women, people of colour,
immigrants and the LGBT community publicly. This re-election has demonstrated to individuals that
these things can be said without any harsh repercussions, as it has become apparent that being a
racist, sexist, homophobic felon does not stop someone from being elected as the most powerful
man in the world. Through his election, Trump is empowering all like-minded individuals to share
their views publicly and shamelessly.
In response to this, many women are finding solace in radical feminism, swearing off men and
marriage. The South Korean born 4b movement has gained significant traction among social media
users since the election. According to the Los Ángeles Times, since November 5 there have been
more than 500,000 searches for the “4b movement”, with one commenter on X saying “Ladies, we
need to start considering the 4b movement like the women in South Korea and give America a
severely sharp birth rate decline” and another stating “The women in South Korea are doing it, it’s
time we join them. Men will NOT be rewarded, nor have access to our bodies”. The 4b movement
encourages women to reject traditional roles and steer away from relationships with men, including
marriage and sex. Women are using this extreme measure as a form of protest against a President
who has consistently degraded, disregarded and assaulted women but is yet to face any repressions
for his actions. But what exactly is the 4b movement?
The premise of the moment is the ‘Four Nos’ (or four Bs) which are;
No sex with men (bisekseu)
No giving birth (bichulsan)
No dating men (biyeonae)
No marriage with men (bihon)
While the emergence of the 4b movement is not entirely clear, scholars and activists agree that
began sometime after 2015, when youth-led radical feminism was becoming increasingly popular on
a number of South Korean online forums. Around the time of the emergence of the 4b movement,
several major events took place in South Korea that fuelled much discussion around gender
inequality in the country. Scholars have largely credited one of the key reasons to be a growing
education gap between men and women in South Korea. Korean women surpassed men in college
enrolment rates as of 2013 and today, nearly three quarters of Korean women pursue a higher
education. This similarity is reflective of education in the United States, with women accounting for
59.5% of all college students according to The Independent. Men appeared to be extremely
discontent with this demographic shift in South Korea, with them coining the term “kimchinyeo” to
stereotype women with a higher education as “selfish, vain and exploitative of their partners”.
Parallels can be drawn from this attitude and similar attitudes in the US, with many men becoming
agitated at a shift in gender roles, feeling emasculated and enraged by a rising number of women in highly ranked jobs, such as Kamala Harris’ campaign for presidency. Many men have become drawn
to vote for more conservative candidates, such as Donald Trump, who has historically prioritised a
return to more ‘traditional values’, placing emphasis on mens wellbeing at the expense of woman’s
autonomy and freedom.
Although this seems extreme, the ‘boy sober’ attitude, popularised by American comedian Hope
Woodard, is being viewed as a refreshing new chapter for many women who feel that giving up
relationships with men will be hugely beneficial to their general wellbeing. Relationship therapist
Ailey Jolie explained to Glamour “It’s becoming normalised to de-centre men if dating is causing
more harm than good to our mental health”. The 4B movement focuses on critiquing the gender
norms that are perpetuated by the patriarchy, encouraging women to break away from them and
find community and liberation among themselves. According to the Vanderbilt Centre for
Technology, “community, understood in conjunction with solidarity and coalition, lies at the centre
of the feminist value system”. Historically, the patriarchy has reinforced the idea that women should
be pitted against each other, viewing one another as competition. Feminist movements aid in the
dismantling of this archaic viewpoint, showing women that they can find community and solidarity
among one another, without the need for any male influence.