What is 4B Movement? Feminist Movement in United States

Another radical feminist movement was gained from South Korea, which spread its influence across the United States, particularly among young women who lost their last remaining hope after Donald Trump was re-elected; thus, "4B" refers to the first letter and "bi" of four Korean words which all start with "bi" and which translates to "no." The movement's four principles are as follows:

Bihon: No heterosexual marriage

Bichulsan: No childbirth

Biyeonae: No dating

Bisekseu: No heterosexual sexual relationships

Origins and Context

The movement gained traction in the mid-to-late 2010s, particularly by 2016 as a response to the growing violence against women as well as systemic gender inequality that is internalized within South Korea. It emerged around the same time the #MeToo movement began, taking on darker issues

with a critical wage gap wherein South Korean women earn only about one-third of their male counterparts' income. One such incident in the public's eye was a murder near one of Seoul's subway stations by a man in 2016. It led to an uproar and discussion, not only in the city but also throughout the entire nation on how much women are considered safe and with what rights.

Current Developments

After the victory of Trump in the last elections, most American women responded to this 4B movement, which is nothing but a protest against the perceived misogyny and gender inequality. Social media sites like TikTok and Instagram have also become hotbeds of discussion about the movement, in which several people have stated that they want to embrace it as a negation of traditional gender roles and relations with men. The popularity of the movement ballooned in social media, where search terms about the movement sharply increased following the election results.

Purpose and Impact

The 4B Movement is a direct challenge to patriarchal norms and societal expectations about the place of women in society. The rationale is that through the rejection of traditional marriage and motherhood, women automatically take their lives and bodies back. This is not just an individual choice but a joint statement against the systemic oppression of women.

The movement has no leadership or any form of organized membership; it promoted an online community in which women can share their varied experiences and strategies for their lives outside traditional relationships. It aims at raising awareness of gender issues while encouraging sisterhood among those women who feel marginalized by prevailing societal norms.

The 4B Movement is important to both South Korean and American women's cultures because it is a movement that heralds autonomy and pushes to destroy patriarchal structures entrenched historically through refusal by many women not to participate in heterosexual intimacy.