The 4B movement from South Korea to the post Trump America

In Aristophanes' comedy, Lysistrata was an Athenian woman who, tired of the Peloponnesian War that kept men away from their poleis and families, calls together an assembly of wives. Together, they decide to launch an actual sex strike: until the husbands sign a peace agreement, they cannot be intimate with them. This decision is sealed with an oath. This comedy, first performed in 411 B.C., is the earliest Western text we have that explores themes such as women’s emancipation and pacifism, offering a glimpse into the lives of wives in Athens and Sparta. Free, but only to a certain extent, with no access to public offices and often married off by their families who chose for them. Perhaps only women today can fully appreciate its striking modernity, especially after the re-election of Donald Trump, who is about to begin his second term following Kamala Harris’s defeat.

The 4B Movement is Born in South Korea

Starting in 2017, a radical feminist movement began to gain momentum in South Korea, garnering many supporters online, especially on Twitter. The inspiration for this movement doesn’t stem, as one might think, from Lysistrata but rather from the novel titled Kim Ji-young, Born 1982, written by Cho Nam-Joo and published in 2016. Through the eyes of the protagonist, the book reveals the discrimination and abuses that women around her, and she herself, face within their families and in society. In response, South Korean women have decided to refrain from dating men, getting married, having sexual relationships with men, and having children. These are the four no’s, or 4B’s, at the core of the movement, aimed at breaking down gender stereotypes and the patriarchal system (reinforced by family and marriage) through a complete rejection of relational ties with men.

The Movement's Founders, Their Manifesto, and the Data: Is it Making an Impact?

Among the founders of this grassroots movement, which makes it hard to attribute to any one source, are Jun Se-young and Baeck Ha-na. Key figures to follow include qoyuzas on Twitter, tracking the movement’s progress and struggles. In 2019, the movement reported having about 4,000 members. Their manifesto, found on Femiwiki—a site that aims to offer feminist perspectives rather than male-centered viewpoints—reaffirms the importance of the four no’s. If you’re wondering whether it’s working, the answer is yes, as the numbers suggest: as reported by The Free Press, last April, the South Korean Ministry of Education announced a reduction in teacher training positions. The reason cited? The significant and drastic decline in students, so steep that over 150 schools nationwide this year saw no new first-grade enrollees. Six years ago, the average number of children per South Korean woman was 0.92; today, it's down to 0.78. In Seoul, it’s already at 0.59. For context, in Italy in 2022, the average was 1.24 children per woman, while in the United States it was higher, at 1.67.

The 4B Movement on TikTok Following Donald Trump’s Election

Now, after news of Donald Trump’s decisive victory, some girls on TikTok are proposing to “import” the South Korean 4B movement to the United States, as a way to send a message to men who voted for Trump and to try to challenge and eliminate power imbalances. Explanatory videos are proliferating on TikTok, with new accounts and suggestions for virtual gatherings on the topic. However, there are critics for a variety of reasons, primarily that in the U.S., a majority of white women voted for Donald Trump. How, then, could it gain traction? The debate includes issues of intersectionality, solidarity with minority groups, yet this kind of approach in the West remains very far from realization, hampered by self-interest or classism. We live in a society that rewards self-interest and individualism, valuing earning power and assertiveness, often at the expense of marginalized groups and women, such as those who are non-white, disabled, or trans.

Doubts About its Effectiveness in the West and the TERF Danger

Another concern with the idea of adapting the 4B movement in the West is its immediate association with TERF groups—radical feminists who exclude (or even harshly discriminate against) trans women. Many doubt whether this approach is replicable in the United States or the West, where the male gaze is stronger than ever, and concepts like patriarchy and male power are prominent online but rarely understood or advocated with the correct language by the general public. Critics also take issue with using TikTok to promote these ideas and the four no’s, arguing it dilutes and oversimplifies such strong and radical concepts through superficial social activism, performative actions consisting of rainbows, slogans, and Instagram infographics that rarely move from virtual space into real-life action.