After Trump's Victory, the 4B Movement Is Spreading Across TikTok

Facing the camera, Maria Barbieri had the clippers out. Donald Trump had just been elected US president and the creator, who posts under the handle @girl_dumphim, woke up “feeling spicy.” She tried to shave her head, eventually grabbing scissors and cutting off chunks at a time. “Giving up on America? [I] have,” she says in a TikTok posted Wednesday morning. “Also given up on coloring this hair, because, right? Fuck coloring my hair. Fuck having my hair be long and luxurious … Fuck being all the things that the patriarchy wants us to be because, clearly, they don’t give a shit about us.”

A floating bit of text on the video reads “Opting out. 4B”—a reference to the feminist movement, started in South Korea, encouraging women to not marry, date, sleep with, or have children with men until all genders have equal rights. As of this writing, it’s gotten more than 3 million views.

Barbieri was just one of several people who posted videos about 4B on Wednesday. Another says, “Doing my part as an American woman by breaking up with my Republican boyfriend last night & officially joining the 4b movement this morning.” It has nearly 9 million views and the poster, @rabbitsandtea, did several follow-up videos to respond to comments about her decision and appearance.

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