'I'll let no man touch me' Korean movement against misogyny sparks US interest
The Guardian|November 09, 2024
McKenna, who is 24 and lives in a rural, conservative state, recently got back on dating apps after a year of finding herself. She had two first dates planned for this weekend, but after Donald Trump won the election, she cancelled both.
Alaina Demopoulos

"It's heartbreaking to know that in this country you only matter if you're a straight white man," she said. "It's just devastating that we're at this point. So I will not let another man touch me until I have my rights back."

McKenna, who did not want her last name published for privacy reasons, first heard about 4B a few months ago, via a TikTok video referring to the South Korean social movement. The basic idea: women swear off heterosexual marriage, dating, sex and childbirth in protest against institutionalised misogyny and abuse. (It is called 4B in reference to these four specific no-nos.) The mostly online movement began around the 2018 protests against revenge porn and grew into South Korea's #MeToo-esque feminist wave.

In the wake of Trump's victory, 4B is once again on McKenna's mind - and she's not the only one. Trump's embrace of manosphere figures such as Joe Rogan, the Nelk Boys and Adin Ross means he has strong support among their disciples - mainly, young men. But for young women, the former president's long history of misogyny means a vote for Trump is a vote against feminism, especially with reproductive rights as a key issue in 2024.

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