By Michela Robino
According to Judith Butler’s work Performative Acts and Gender Constitution, identity is not fixed, but continually reinforced until perceived as natural. While Butler acknowledges that performativity is just one plausible understanding of gender, its flexibility accounts for intersectionality, meaning the inclusion of race, sexuality, and social class.
Performativity is a powerful framework to analyse why and how feminism disrupts and redefines established gender norms. Each wave of feminism — from the fight for universal suffrage (first wave) to media representation (fourth wave) — can be defined as a ‘rejection’ of the ‘assigned script’ given by society, which women are expected to follow. Most recently, South Korea’s 4B movement represents one of the most radical contemporary manifestations of such defiance.
Understanding Performativity and the 4B Movement
Butler, drawing on Simone de Beauvoir’s claim that “one is not born, but rather becomes a woman,” asserts that gender is constructed through repeated behaviors dictated by social expectations. She incorporates Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology, arguing that bodily gestures, speech, and appearance reinforce gender norms over time. Yet, performativity is not absolute. Butler contends that these norms can be subverted, allowing for transformation.
Traditional feminist theory often categorized all women under a singular identity, an approach Butler critiques for its exclusionary nature. Early feminism, particularly the first and second waves, primarily addressed legal and reproductive rights but often marginalized women of color and working-class women. Third-wave feminism in the 1990s challenged this universalism, incorporating intersectionality. By the fourth wave, digital activism and movements like #MeToo disrupted strict gender roles. These shifting feminist waves laid the groundwork for more radical departures from societal expectations, such as the 4B movement.
The Rise of the 4B Movement and Lysistratism
The 4B movement, or “Four No’s” movement, emerged in South Korea in 2017, following the 2016 “Escape the Corset” movement, which rejected beauty standards. 4B advocates for four principles: bisekseu (no sex with men), bichulsan (no childbirth), biyeonae (no romantic relationships with men), and bihon (no marriage). These principles defy traditional gender expectations, mirroring Aristophanes’ Lysistrata, the classical Greek comedy in which women withhold sex to challenge male dominance and reclaim their agency.
In the comedy, Lysistrata herself declares, “We’ll compel the men to peace by keeping away from them”, as she and a coalition of women stand united in the Acropolis, seizing control of the treasury, while simultaneously withholding sex from the men of Athens and Sparta during the Peloponnesian War. The ingenuity of this comedy lies in Aristophanes’ humor and satire to highlight the absurdity of war and the often-overlooked political potential of women, particularly when they withdraw from traditionally assigned roles. In fact, this act portrays a term which scholars now refer to as lysistratism—a form of protest in which the female body, and sexual refusal becomes a strategic ‘weapon’ of political resistance.
It could be argued that the 4B movement is a form of neo-lysistratic feminism in South Korea’s unstable socio-political climate. The nation’s hyper-competitive job market, combined with extreme beauty standards and gender inequality, has undoubtedly fueled the movement. The country’s government has blamed women for declining birth rates, further exacerbating gender tensions. In this context, the 4B movement is not merely a rejection of personal relationships but a political statement against these alarming systemic pressures. By refusing to participate in patriarchal institutions, 4B activists challenge the performativity of gender norms, exposing their fragility.
Political Context and Global Implications
The 4B movement’s rise aligns with growing global resistance against patriarchal conservatism. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s administration has been criticized for rolling back gender equality initiatives, mirroring the rightward shift seen in other nations. Yoon’s declaration of martial law on December 3, 2024, deepened societal divides, fueling feminist resistance.
Similarly, Donald Trump’s re-election in 2024 and the implementation of Project 2025, which aims to restrict reproductive rights and reinforce traditional gender roles, reflect an international trend of conservative backlash. Butler’s assertion that “power is produced through reiteration, but its very repetition also creates opportunities for subversion” is evident here. As conservative leaders attempt to enforce rigid gender norms, feminist movements respond with radical opposition, demonstrating the instability of these norms.
Breaking the Cycle
Feminist resistance, particularly in digital spaces, has fostered global solidarity. The 4B movement, once localized in South Korea, has influenced feminist discourse worldwide, particularly in the U.S., where reproductive rights are under threat. This movement exemplifies how performativity can be resisted—not just by rejecting norms but by actively reshaping them.
As governments seek to control women’s bodies under the guise of social stability, feminist movements expose the arbitrary nature of gendered expectations. Butler’s theory remains vital in understanding this dynamic. In a world where patriarchal structures continue to dictate social roles, the 4B movement serves as a reminder that resistance is not just possible but necessary. The rejection of assigned scripts disrupts the illusion of gender as natural, proving that, just as norms are constructed, they can be deconstructed.
