Burnt Toast by Virginia Sole-Smith

Burnt Toast by Virginia Sole-Smith

Essays

Should We Go on a Sex Strike?

Or does the 4B movement undermine women's body autonomy?

Virginia Sole-Smith's avatar
Virginia Sole-Smith
Nov 15, 2024
∙ Paid

Almost as soon as Trump’s victory was announced last week, Google searches for “4B movement” surged—and a proliferation of TikToks followed. 4B is a South Korean feminist movement that originated in the 2010s, in response to their country’s entrenched patriarchy, which is upheld by rigid beauty standards for women.

“Bi” means “not” in Korean, so 4Bs translates roughly to “4 Nos.” Followers of 4B live their activism by following these rules: 

  • No sex with men

  • No dating men

  • No marrying men

  • No having children with men 

Look, I get it. Last Wednesday night, after I spent the day feeling wrung out and hollow in the face of Trump’s victory, I got a text from a man who hadn’t otherwise reached out to me since September… wondering if I might be up for a post-election hook-up. 

User's avatar

Continue reading this post for free, courtesy of Virginia Sole-Smith.

Or purchase a paid subscription.
© 2026 Virginia Sole-Smith · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture