4B isn’t a movement: it’s a group therapy session

For a day or two there, 4B seemed to be positioning itself at the epicenter of a chaotic, confused eruption of liberal, feminist, political reactions to Trump’s re-election and all of its literal and symbolic portents. It also happened to be a couple of days I had off from work. I was able to spend a lot of time putting the movement through the standard inquiry applicable to any mass political movement. I was not for it nor against it. I recognize the problems to which it is a reaction and sympathize with its supporters. I was only out to determine its goals, methodology and viability. After several hours of researching the origins and ideology of the movement, talking to dozens of its supporters, and largely ignoring the critics who didn’t think this was worth taking seriously, I had to admit it: the critics are right.

Protest:

In general, the movement advocates for women to strike against dating, marrying, sleeping with and having children for men. But which men? Some answered, “all men.” Some answered, “Conservative men.” Some answered more nebulously about men who think or behave some type of way. Many answered, “All men, except for MY man.” Despite this incoherence among supporters, each expressed a great deal of confidence in their own interpretation of the assignment. For anyone serious about accomplishing anything, this is generally considered a bad start.

Goals:

The next question was a little less of stumble: what are the goals of the movement? Most supporters said something about de-centering men in women’s lives (what this actually means is harder to pin down) and advancing “women’s issues” in the political sphere.

Theory of Action:

How does an action that is, in practice, essentially a sex strike systematically produce a favorable policy outcome? To summarize: no one knows. It’s a SouthPark-ian plan where Step 1 is “4B,” Step 3 is “Profit,” and Step 2 is just a question mark.

Problems

Many people have reasonably pointed out that a low birth rate will disproportionately affect liberal men, producing a generation that leans even more conservative. Many have pointed out that this movement is most attractive to women who are already likely to practice some form of it already, and least attractive to women who are already conservative, in heterosexual relationships, or aren’t politically conscious, limiting both its perceivable effect and its growth potential. Many have pointed out that raising awareness in 2024 makes little sense—in today’s media and political environment, following the loss of Roe v Wade and the defeat of a female presidential candidate at the hands of an adjudicated rapist, our population is probably near the peak of how politically conscious we can be on this issue. Many have pointed out that a strike amounts to “compliance in advance”: a bunch of liberal women doing mostly what conservative men want them to do anyway. Many have pointed out that 4B has no proven record of success in Korea. Some, like myself, have even pointed out that “male” and “female” aren’t the only salient political demographics, with rates of conservative support varying considerably along racial, and other, lines.

Without a consensus plan of action, concrete goals, a plausible theory for how the action produces those goals, and with many glaring structural problems, 4B isn’t attractive enough to sustain recruitment or actionable enough to achieve results. This is not a mass movement. It’s mass catharsis—a therapeutic lashing-out providing temporary relief of pent-up anger and an illusion of reclaiming power. And that’s fine. If, undoubtedly, a few participants want to take it further and enact personal changes to their perspectives and behaviors, that’s fine too. But as realpolitick, it’s not only insubstantial, but incomprehensible.

Postscript: as of today, interest in 4B has significantly died down. Much of the remaining discourse surrounds its possible interactions with trans politics and is overwhelmingly negative. For what it's worth, I honestly hope any woman who shaved her head for this enjoys the new look. In a week, it's likely all they'll have to remember this by.