'I'll let no man touch me' Korean movement against misogyny sparks US interest

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.