The 4B Movement, Swearing Off Men Won't Get Rid of Them
What is the 4B movement? Where does it originate from? What was the reaction? Let's see.
Just this past week, amid our Friday night drinks, one of my girlfriends mentioned that she discovered a new approach to heal our lately exhausting dating lives—we stop dating. Of course, it was about the 4B movement. In recent years, the feminist scene in South Korea has been stirring with this radical movement called the 4B Movement. The term 4B emerged from social media platforms in the late 2010s following a highly publicised murder of a woman by a man. Which evidently got a reaction from Korean feminist circles, to say the least. It regained its popularity in the US after the recent election and brought up a whole new conversation once again. The movement encourages women to challenge traditional gender roles and societal expectations of women’s relationships, careers, and overall lives. Women of all ages from twentysomething to middle-aged find themselves involved in the movement in one way or another since they are simply sick of it all. Honestly, haven’t we all been there at some point? However, before you start saying'sign me up’, let’s see what exactly 4B means and how one practices it.
What does 4B stand for?
4B, or ‘Four Nos.’ refers to its defining four principles. These four principles all start with the term ‘bi’, which roughly means ‘no’ in Korean. The four ‘B’s that represent the four principles are: no sex with men (bisekseu), no childbirth (bichulsan), no dating men (biyeonae), and no marriage with men (bihon). So, any kind of heterosexual relationship is rejected.
The Impact on Society
4B is an inevitable outcome of frustrated young feminists who can no longer tolerate society’s beauty standards and patriarchal structures. However, if you are talking louder than the other person, according to them, you’re shouting. The backlash they faced caused feminism to only be comprehended in its radical form. Also, the word ‘feminist’ has been accepted almost as a slur in South Korea. Some link the low fertility rate in Korea to 4B; however, the birth rate has been dropping for many years since before the movement. Even though the lowest birth rate record was hit in 2023. Lately, the backlash that has shown itself as violent attacks by men as well as online hateful presence has forced people to practice ‘quiet feminism’. The term represents an anonymous online presence, which allows people to feel somewhat safer. Since all of this hits too close to home, maybe practicing 4B a little might just be the cleanse we need for the winter.