December 2024
By Jocelyn Caraveo, Assistant Editor, and Darian Cravin, Staff Reporter
The 4B movement is one of the many radical feminist responses to traditional gender roles and reproductive expectations. It challenges societal norms and empowers women to envision a future free from state-imposed obligations, fostering discussions about safety, autonomy, and modern relationship dynamics.
What Is The 4B Movement?
The 4B (4非) movement is a radical feminist initiative that promotes the Four No’s: no (heterosexual) marriage, sex, dating, or children. In Korean, these four terms start with ‘bi’: no sex (bisekseu), no childbirth (bichulsan), no dating (bieyonae), and remaining unmarried (bihon). This movement critiques pro-natalist policies and encourages self-help practices to empower women’s futures.
Young feminists view this movement as a way to validate feminine desires while simultaneously excluding unmarried women from job opportunities. Many advocate for this as a means to imagine a feminist future that is independent of state-imposed reproductive expectations. The movement has gained traction in the U.S. following President Trump’s re-election.
Why Was The 4B Movement Started?
The 4B movement emerged in 2015 when there was an uprise in gender wars but mostly arose in 2017 in South Korea when a 2016 case was heavily over-publicized about the murder of a woman by a man who admitted to the murder and expressed that he did it because women did not acknowledge him and ignored him and he was later not charged another.
How Would it Affect Everyday Life?
Post-election concerns about women’s safety raise questions about how this issue would impact modern life. Time Magazine argues that the 4B movement may not be the ideal approach. It suggests that “American women are increasingly calling for the rejection of sexual relationships with men and, in doing so, are becoming less sexually appealing to them.” This viewpoint implies that feminists in the U.S. are shifting the focus of the movement away from its original purpose.
Implementing such a movement in everyday life would present significant challenges, affecting social, political, and economic dynamics. On a social level, prioritizing women’s health and safety could lead to a safer environment. However, this focus might also create increased tensions between genders politically. In contemporary society, men predominantly hold positions of power, and women’s adherence to this movement could provoke controversy.
Moreover, there would likely be a major redefinition of what constitutes the “ideal American man or woman,” leading to fewer romantic interactions between genders.
Similar Movements:
The #MeToo movement, which started in 2006 and gained prominence in 2017, empowered individuals worldwide, especially in South Korea, to share experiences of sexual harassment and abuse. This cultural shift exposed the pervasive nature of such issues across workplaces, schools, and military settings. Notably, former “comfort women” bravely shared their experiences, highlighting systemic gender-based violence and sparking discussions on legal reforms to protect victims.
The Escape the Corset movement, initiated in 2016, later inspired the 4b movement. It challenges oppressive beauty standards, particularly in South Korea’s significant beauty market. Women are rejecting cosmetics and trendy attire, some even shaving their heads, in a protest against consumerism and misogyny. The Escape the Corset movement has significantly influenced this ongoing fight for liberation and social change.
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