Young women pledge dating boycott as Trump returns to office
Young American women announce on social media that they will not date men. This is their way of expressing opposition to Donald Trump once again becoming the President of the United States, given his past misogynistic behaviour.
8 November 2024 11:19
Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris and will become the 47th President of the United States. Many young women online have expressed their concern over the election results. As a form of protest, some of them have posted videos on TikTok, stating that they will not be going on dates with men now. On Wednesday, 6th November 2024, searches for the phrase "4B" on Google increased by 450%. The "4B" movement originated in South Korea. What does its name refer to?
"It's devastating that we are at this point"
Twenty-four-year-old McKenna lives in one of America's conservative states. As reported on the online site "The Guardian", she recently returned to dating apps and had scheduled two meetings with men she met there. However, McKenna cancelled the dates after Donald Trump won the presidential election.
"It's heartbreaking that in this country you only matter if you're a heterosexual white man. It's devastating that we are at this point. That's why I won't let another man touch me until I get my rights back," emphasised the 24-year-old, as quoted by the British newspaper.
McKenna is not the only American woman interested in the "4B" movement, as evidenced by videos posted by many other women on TikTok.
"Girls, it's time to boycott all men! You've lost your rights, and they lost the right to hit raw! The '4B' movement starts now!" informed one creator on TikTok in a video viewed 3.4 million times.
American women protest online. The "4B" movement began a few years earlier
The first actions related to the "4B" movement were recorded in 2018. Citizens of South Korea protested, mainly online, vowing not to date, have sex, marry, or have children. This was their way of opposing institutionalised misogyny and abuses.
Korean women also protested against omnipresent spy cameras used, mainly by men, to record women during intercourse or, for instance, using public restrooms, of course without their consent.
"These videos were sold and exchanged by men on Discord. Women did not know how many men were involved or if any men in their lives took part," said Min Joo Lee, an assistant professor of Asian Studies at Occidental College, as quoted by theguardian.com.
