Feminism

It’s as predictable as drag queens on the BBC: the moment a woman in the public eye does something lucrative but degrading, she pulls out the “feminist” card. This holds true for Lily Phillips, the OnlyFans performer who hit headlines after a stunt where she allowed 101 men to have sex with her in a single day, and for OnlyFans CEO Keily Blair, who claims that feminism informs her work. But a recent investigation by Reuters has exposed the criminal, monetised misogyny on the site.

In the hours and days since it became clear that Donald Trump would be re-elected president of the United States, there’s been a surge of interest in the US for 4B.

Young liberal women across TikTok and Instagram are discussing and sharing information about the South Korean feminist movement, in which straight women refuse to marry, have children, date or have sex with men.

Following Donald Trump’s election victory, a South Korean feminist movement called the “4B Movement” is resonating with American women on TikTok. The movement’s principles, which include rejecting dating, marriage, sex and childbirth with men, have sparked conversations about gender dynamics in the U.S. amid concerns about women’s rights.

Inspired by years of activism in South Korea, the “4B Movement” — shorthand for the “Four Nos” — advocates for complete independence from men as a protest against societal expectations.

Liberal women are withholding sex from men and shaving their heads to protest President-elect Donald Trump’s landslide victory over Kamala Harris.

The demonstration was inspired by South Korea’s “4B” movement against gender-based violence where some women in that country have vowed to follow the four “no’s” — no sex, no dating or marriage and no having children with men.

“No woman goes running with thrill into egg-freezing,” explains Professor Marcia Inhorn. “A lot of these women would rather not be doing it.” So why are they? If a spate of recent reports is to be believed, career progression is a key driver of “social egg-freezing”, used by women who wish to delay having a baby until later in life. After all, it fits into the Girlboss narrative: “Freeze Your Eggs, Free Your Career,” as Bloomberg Businessweek put it in 2014.

During the 2020 presidential campaign, then–vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, was adored in the media for being the epitome of a supportive husband. Vox deemed Emhoff a “wife guy extraordinaire” and said he “could be a new role model for men.” Marie Claire ran a profile of him headlined “The Good Husband.” The Washington Post, in an adoring piece, called Harris and Emhoff “a match made in Hollywood” and quoted a professor who described Emhoff’s effort to usher a protester away at his wife’s campaign event “superhero

Husbands who head the household and go to work to provide for their family. Wives whose primary roles are homemaker and mother.  

A conservative vision of America has gained momentum among those who fear American culture has swung too far from their long-held ideal of what a family should look like, and, in some quarters, reject deviations from that view.  

You may have heard about JD Vance’s “childless cat ladies” riff. But even if you have, it’s worth revisiting the full quote — and reminding yourself of what it says about the movement that may wind up in charge of this country after this year’s election.