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Originating in South Korea in 2010, the 4B movement was founded on four principles: a rejection of marriage, childbirth and heterosexual relationships, both in dating and sex. In Hangul, the principles are called bihon, bichulsan, biyeonae and bisekseu, hence the “B” in the movement’s name.

The goal of the 4B movement is to call out the harmful gender standards placed between men and women and aims to promote women’s autonomy by breaking out of patriarchal standards. But what began in South Korea has reached the United States following the election, as many American women are starting to seek solace and comfort in the 4B movement through social media.

While the sentiment behind the movement aims to empower women and allow them to stand in solidarity, the overarching principles are unrealistic. As a young woman, I can empathize with the fear resulting from the recent election. The 4B movement, however, holds women to an unrealistic standard that’s extremely difficult to maintain and commit to.

For women, just knowing that, in their heterosexual relationships, their partner voted for a man convicted of sexual abuse and played a large part in overturning reproductive rights leads to the desire to disassociate with them. In fact, inspired by the 4B movement, some women are vowing to stop dating men for good.

In a society that has historically held women to a domestic standard of marriage and child-bearing, it’s unfortunately unrealistic that radical action will achieve the desired outcome. Cultivating gender equality, like any large movement for civil rights, requires time, patience and gradual change.

Cole Ross | Digital Design Director

The four principles of the 4B movement offer a different sense of empowerment and control for the women who feel justifiably scared by the results of the election. Women in the U.S. are vowing to follow the facets of this movement in solidarity –– but it’s impossible to truly gauge who’s maintaining their promises. Without a centralized place with facts or data, the growth of the movement relies solely on people advocating for its importance on unfounded testimonies.

Under the 4B ideologies, heterosexual women are trying to change things about their physical appearance to make themselves “unattractive” to men. Thus, women on social media have resorted to changing their style and even filming videos shaving their heads. But the ideology that certain traits like a shaved head are grotesque to men feels misogynistic and harmful for women. I can understand the idea of changing appearance, but pushing the ideology that having no hair or a certain style is unattractive sets a harmful precedent for women.

On TikTok, many creators who have experienced involuntary hair loss are lending their voices to the conversation. One woman in particular named Jessica Yang said that after losing her hair due to her alopecia, she was already struggling with self-esteem and feeling unattractive. Pushing the concept that being bald is unattractive is only more detrimental to people going through similar situations. Yang explained that not only is this ideology harmful to those with alopecia, but it’s insensitive to cancer patients who have lost their hair from chemotherapy treatment.

This belief that aspects of a woman’s appearance that will demote their presence in society has the potential to impact impressionable young people and set a damaging precedent. When the young girls who make up approximately 25% of TikTok’s users are exposed to the belief that a certain style equates to negative perceptions from men, they may shy away from expressing themselves as they grow up. This instills a sentiment of misogyny onto young girls, teaching them that their appearance will always be monitored by men and therefore diminishing their self-worth.

Asserting that getting rid of your hair makes you less desirable is a major setback in the advancement of the 4B movement, as it deters people from remaining faithful to following it. As more creators speak out on the harmful precedents set by the movement, people lose respect for its overarching principles and turn away from it.

The long-term effects of the 4B movement in the U.S. won’t be clear for some time, but many argue that it most likely will subside as time passes from the election. For students here at Syracuse University, this movement reiterates the importance of getting involved socially and engaging with political issues that will have an effect on our futures. While the 4B movement may die down over time, the principle it stands on highlights the solidarity women share in empowerment.

Gracie Lebersfeld is a junior majoring in selected studies in education and creative writing. Her column appears bi-weekly. She can be reached at gmlebers@syr.edu.

Published on November 21, 2024 at 2:01 am