Korean women react to 4B movement’s spread to the US

As the 4B movement gains traction in the U.S. following recent political events, Korean women who initiated the movement – which stands for “no marriage, no childbirth, no dating, and no sex with men” in Korean – express a mix of excitement and caution. Those involved emphasize the importance of understanding the movement’s origins and the societal context that fueled its creation.

Tracing its origins: The 4B movement emerged in the mid-2010s from online feminist forums in South Korea, where women face significant challenges, including a wide gender pay gap, rampant digital sex crimes and societal pressure to conform to rigid beauty standards. “The 4B movement is about crying out that it is no [longer] possible to get in relations [with] a man, in any way,” Korean feminist author Lee Min-gyeong explained. Korean women see the movement as a way for them to reclaim autonomy and resist patriarchal structures that limit their freedom and opportunities. “For me, the most effective way to fight these disadvantages is to make men irrelevant from my life,” shared 17-year-old supporter Je-Young Nam (pseudonym).
Understanding cultural contexts: Korean women stress that the focus should be on why the movement exists, rather than simply on the number of its adherents. 4B practitioners anticipate the movement will evolve and adapt to different cultural contexts. “American feminism is different from Korean feminism because they have unique American culture and issues tied into them,” a young Korean woman involved in the movement told Rolling Stone. Observers also point out that while the movement is gaining traction in the U.S., it remains relatively small and has sparked backlash within South Korea, with some criticizing it as extreme and contributing to societal division. “Its (4B’s) radical nature has contributed to serious backlash, with many young men and some women equating all feminists with man-haters, which deepens societal divisions,” noted Clemson University lecturer Minyoung Moon.

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