'Boycott all men': Why Korea's viral 4B movement is spreading in the U.S. after Trump's win

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'Boycott all men': Why Korea's viral 4B movement is spreading in the U.S. after Trump's win

Published: 14 Nov. 2024, 18:02 Updated: 18 Nov. 2024, 15:07

Some female users on TikTok have publicly embraced the 4B movement. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

In the aftermath of Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election, a feminist movement that began in Korea is gaining traction among American women.

For many women in the United States, the election represented a pivotal moment for women’s rights, with issues like misogyny and reproductive freedoms at stake. With Trump — who has been found liable for sexually abusing women and has voiced support for a nationwide abortion ban after 15 weeks — returning to the presidency, some American women are expressing their disappointment and fear by embracing the 4B movement and encouraging others to join.

“Girls, it’s time to boycott all men! You lost your rights, and they lost the right to [engage in sexual activities]! 4B movement starts now!” one TikTok creator wrote in a viral video that has been viewed 3.4 million times.

Another woman shared her experience with the movement, captioning her video, “2 years ago at 34 I chose to be 4B and kept it to myself. NOT ANYMORE.”

Following Trump’s victory, interest in the 4B movement has surged in the United States, with Google Trends reporting a 450 percent increase in searches for the term.

A press conference was held on May 17, 2017 in Jongno Districtm central Seoul, to remember a murder case that happened in Gangnam Station a year ago. [JOONGANG ILBO]

What is the 4B movement?
The movement originated in Korea as an offshoot of protests against deep-rooted social issues affecting women, including gender inequality, misogyny, hate crimes, wage discrimination and the widespread use of hidden spy cams that secretly film women. The term “4B” refers to four tenets, each starting with the Korean word “Bi,” meaning “No”: no dating men, no sex with men, no marrying men and no having children.

The movement to decenter men in life gained momentum in Korea in the mid-to-late 2010s, particularly on social media, following the 2016 murder of a woman at a public bathroom near Seoul’s Gangnam Station. The murder, committed by a man who claimed he acted because women had “always ignored” him, sparked nationwide attention on women’s safety and equality.

Protesters hold signs as part of the #MeToo movement in Changwon, South Gyeonsang, on May 17, 2018. [YONHAP]

The 4B movement further intensified in 2018, during the #MeToo movement and a surge in spy cam pornography cases, and again in 2022, when President Yoon Suk Yeol moved to shut down the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. That same year, another woman was murdered by a male colleague who had been stalking her at Sindang Station.

What began as a movement centered on safety and rejecting traditional gender roles in Korea has now resonated with some American women seeking greater control over their bodies and safety, particularly in the wake of Trump’s return to power.

Women hold signs as they attend the National Women's March in Chicago on Nov. 2, 2024. [AP/YONHAP]

Fears of a potential federal abortion ban have prompted more women in the United States to brace for uncertainty during Trump’s second term. Aid Access, a service that provides abortion pills by mail, reported a dramatic surge in orders following the election, with over 10,000 orders placed on Nov. 6 — 17 times higher than the usual volume, according to The Washington Post.

Demand for other forms of contraception has also increased. Planned Parenthood reported a 1,200 percent rise in appointments for vasectomies and a more than 760 percent increase in requests for intrauterine device (IUD) insertions since Trump’s election.

Will the 4B movement catch on in the United States?
However, Katharine Moon, a political science professor at Wellesley College, expressed doubt that the 4B movement would see widespread adoption in the United States, noting that the movement's emphasis on refusing to reward men with access to women’s bodies as a form of protest is more closely tied to abortion rights than a broader lifestyle choice.

“It’s a temporary means to bring attention to the precarious situation of women, with Trump and his ascending to power,” Moon told the New York Times. “So it’s not really about a total commitment to a way of life without men. Whereas in South Korea, it is a way of life.”

BY WOO JI-WON [[email protected]]