Throughout history, women have partaken in chastity movements as a form of protest. From thousands of years ago to the 1940s, when suffragettes argued for “Votes for women, chastity for men,” women have worked to bring men’s attention to women’s rights through the act of “swearing off.”
Even back in 411 BC, playwright Aristophanes wrote the Greek play Lysistrata, which describes women organizing a “sex strike” to protest the Peloponnesian war. While the comedic play was originally written at the expense of women, theatre artists today have claimed Lysistrata, the protagonist, as an important feminist icon.
This form of protest is far from a thing of the past. In 2016, as a result of women in South Korea facing extreme gender inequality, Cho Nam-joo’s debut feminist novel Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 became an immediate bestseller. It sparked a rise in feminist movements in South Korea including the 4B movement.
The four “B”s of 4B stand for bihon, bichulsan, biyeonae, and bisekseu. In English, this translates to mean “Four Nos.” No marriage, no childbirth, no dating, and no sex with men.
Following the 2024 election, the 4B movement has taken off via TikTok in the United States. After Trump’s reelection, many women feel that their voices are not being heard on prevalent issues, especially abortion rights. Now, they are considering following South Korean women’s actions—or lack thereof.
Many students at Arcata High support this movement.
“I think it’s a very empowering thing that women are doing right now,” senior Rubee Rathbun said. “I feel like at this point, there’s only so much that women can do to advocate for themselves.”
An anonymous Arcata High student, and a participant in the 4B movement, agreed.
“I’ve been boy sober for seventeen years, and I plan to continue to be,” she said.
She feels that this movement is not just a meaningful form of resistance, but also a necessity for many women in today’s world.
“If men are trying to take away women’s rights, we should take away their rights to women,” an anonymous student said.
While some people feel this notion is too extreme, Rathbun disagrees.
She sees the movement as a passive way to bring attention to women’s rights. “Women are choosing not to do something that they don’t necessarily even have to do. I don’t think that can ever be too extreme.”
As we enter a new era for this country, she sees hope in the 4B movement.
“I hope it makes a certain group of people more appreciative of their position in this country,” Rathbun said. “I think that maybe they’ll learn to understand the other side a little bit, and what [this movement] could mean for other people.”
However, TikTok has largely transformed the 4B movement and what it stands for in the United States.
Several women have shaved their heads to refrain from appearing “conventionally attractive” in the name of this movement. This has faced backlash, especially from cancer survivors. TikTok user @swayzejane posted about this, saying she has “fought too hard for you to be shaving your head so that ‘men don’t want you.’” Others argue that this new development should not be associated with the 4B movement, as it is its own form of resistance.
Additionally, most Americans, even those participating in the ‘no dating’ part of the movement, are unaware of its origins. In South Korea, it is generally considered to be an extremist, fringe feminist movement rooted in homophobia, transphobia, and misandry. Ju Hui Judy Han, a professor in gender studies at UCLA spoke recently with CNN about the explosion of the 4B movement in the United States. Han sees the movement as “short-sighted”, and fears it will result in “reductive gender binary thinking.”
Rather than a new abstinence movement, Han believes that women worldwide need a rise in awareness and unity.
“I hope what [women] find is not necessarily a particular movement like the 4B movement, but a recognition that struggles for reproductive justice and gender equality are certainly not just American concerns,” she said.
After learning this, however, the anonymous student still supports American women in their actions.
“As a lesbian, I still think it’s important,” she said. “I think it has a different meaning for American women. We’re approaching it from a place of solidarity, not hatred.”
Whether or not Americans have redefined the 4B movement in recent months, women across the nation continue to find comfort in their shared ability to take action, bringing their displeasure with current events to light.
