The 4b Movement – Protest or Privilege?

Photo by RDNE Stock project: / Pexels

Since Donald Trump’s recent presidential victory women around the United States are suggesting a protest known as the 4b movement.

The movement began in South Korea in 2016 when a huge number of women decided to reject the societal norms expected of their gender such as motherhood, marriage and heterosexual relationships. Essentially, the movement consists of decentralising the male from the female’s everyday lives in an attempt to regain respect from men.

This stemmed from a rise in interest in feminism from young women around South Korea throughout the 2010s, as crime levels and misogynistic attitudes towards women prevailed.

A contemporary fiction novel based on a South Korean woman’s daily struggles as a female, Kim JiYoung Born 1982, has resonated with many people in recent years and further developed these conversations around the female experience in South Korea.

The ‘B’ in ‘4b movement’ is a homophone for the Korean word bi (비/非), meaning ‘no’, representing the movement’s four principles: bihon (no marriage), bichulsan (no childbirth), biyeonae (no dating) and bisekseu (no sex).

The idea is catching on and ever since last week’s US presidential election, women across America are starting to think that this movement may be their last chance to regain power.

They are understandably concerned about women’s rights since the election, concerning issues around abortion, healthcare, immigration, and more.

Through platforms such as TikTok, X and Instagram women are trying to spread the idea of the 4b movement.

However this time it’s causing some controversy due to the privilege associated.

Photo by Rosemary Ketchum / Pexels

In many countries around the world today, particularly underdeveloped nations, choosing to go 4b wouldn’t even be an option. The freedom to participate in such activities simply wouldn’t be a possibility.

If we take, for example, the increasingly concerning situation happening in Afghanistan. Women have restricted movement, they are banned from education and women’s voices being heard in public is also not allowed. Participation in the 4b movement here would lead to a severely dangerous situation.

Many women in the States who are in domestic abusive relationships, have children, or struggle economically and rely on a partner to share bills, would also likely be restricted from taking part.

Another newer aspect of the movement is to shave one’s head to appear ‘less conventionally attractive’ in terms of the male gaze. However, many women who have lost hair due to illnesses or other reasons have taken offence to the thought processes behind this approach.

It’s also important to not sensationalise these ideas. While the movement has gained traction in recent days around the globe, the reality is that the majority of women are not taking part in 4b.

They are simply hoping that their rights will remain in place once Trump takes office.

Is that too much to ask?

Words by Ava Grace