Recently, the femmes of the world have come across a seemingly new term in the realm of dating. The foreign 4B Movement has gone viral on TikTok and spread like wildfire as women discover the liberation within the concept. Stemming from South Korea, millions of women are investing in this game-changing lifestyle. Let’s dive deeper.
What Is the 4B Movement?
This 2018 feminist movement did not come from a popular rom-com or content creator. It came from a digital collection of women all in the same country wanting to fight back against rampant misogyny and patriarchy (much like many other cultures).
The title of the 4B movement is derived from multiple Korean words that start with bi- (which translates to “no”). All of these relate to the rejection of assumed roles for women. The first “b” is bihon, which means refusing heterosexual marriage. Bichulsan and Biyeonae mean the refusal of childbirth and dating, respectively. Bisekseu is the final word, which means rejection of heterosexual sexual relationships.
Korean women publicly rejected beauty standards by shaving their heads and going out barefaced. In today’s world, liberating big chops and wearing no makeup is nearly a norm. But it was not a norm at that time or in Korean culture.
Why Are American Women Adopting the U.S. 4B Movement?
With former President Donald Trump returning to the White House after a presidential run against Vice President Kamala Harris, women in the U.S. are considering the 4B Movement for the U.S. Currently, 13 states are enforcing bans at all stages of pregnancy, and four more block abortion in most cases after about six weeks of pregnancy regardless of women having no idea that they’re pregnant.
Despite the bans, advocates have increasingly helped women access abortion pills and organized efforts to help women travel for abortion. But with a majority conservative Supreme Court and a president who may replace them with younger judges who will have a lifetime job, more women in the U.S. are worried about pregnancy scares, pregnancy complications and no access to health insurance (if a Republican-led House and Senate follows through on blocking the Affordable Care Act after trying to do so more than 70 times).
Although Trump won the popular vote and electoral vote, for the 53% of women who backed Harris (including 91% of Black women), considering the U.S. 4B Movement may be their way of fighting back against the White House to come.
Is the 4B Movement Working?
The movement makes a point to reject dating, marriage, sex with or having the children of men. These things are factors that could halt whole societies and, in general, slow down birth rates. In the point of view of governments, health organizations and greater society could help make major changes. The movement could open the floor to discussions for changes in law, policy and even culture. So far, it has advocated for the rights of women in an impactful way.
Along with other dating mantras like “if he wanted to, he would,” the new term leans away from taking responsibility for less-than-desirable partnerships. Instead of accepting the bare minimum, women are taking back their power, choosing themselves and their well-being over all else.
How Does It Impact Expats and Visitors?
There are also South Korean women who are choosing themselves when it comes to dating culture but in a different way. They’re dating and marrying foreigners. Expats who travel to Korea for school or work have contributed to an uptick in marriages filed over the last year. A statistic that has been on a steady decline, particularly since the launch of the 4B movement in 2018, has now seen an increase.
Travel YouTuber Isis Williams speaks to this as a result of living and dating in South Korea before getting into a relationship with her current boyfriend. She shares that feminism still impacts the experiences of young women whether coupled or single as it’s become a trigger for most young men.
While the 4B movement demonstration was a form of online activism, women everywhere can model their lifestyle after it. Modern women can choose to take one, two, three or even all four of the B’s from the movement and implement them into their lives. The key element of the movement is encouraging and amplifying the autonomy of women. As long as they feel like applying the principles improves their life, then that is all women need to know to determine if the movement is working.
