A social media post from a far-right political pundit proclaiming “your body, my choice” has gone viral, as women report a rise in online abuse following the presidential election.
Nick Fuentes’ post on X, formerly Twitter, which adapted the pro-abortion phrase “my body, my choice”, saw an immediate reaction, with some users saying they were worried that many others would agree with him.
“Your body, my choice. Forever,” he shared, with the comment finding its way into the replies of women’s posts on various social media platforms over the past few days.
The Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) tracked the comments, as well as other misogynistic remarks including “get back to the kitchen” and “repeal the 19th“, referring to the right to vote.
While these latter two had appeared in some posts in the past month, instances soared after Nov. 5. “Your body, my choice” went from fewer than 20 mentions a day to nearly 2,000.
ISD found posts from female users on TikTok, with one stating: “I had to delete a video because I was being threatened and several men commenting [sic] saying they couldn’t wait until I get raped or ‘your body my choice.'”
Another said she had woken up to men posting similar comments on her content, while on Reddit another said TikTok had declared the comment was not a violation of its policies.
TikTok told Newsweek that the term violates its guidelines for hate speech and posts containing it would be removed.
Young girls were also reporting hearing the phrase chanted at them at school, ISD said, while 52,000 posts including it had appeared on Facebook within a 24 hour period.
Who is Nick Fuentes?
Fuentes, 26, is a white nationalist podcaster. He’s known for his long history of misogynistic and antisemitic remarks online and hosts his own show called America First.
He previously branded supporters of President-elect Donald Trump as being part of a cult and refused to endorse him this year, but he did show support for the Republican in 2020.
Fuentes later had dinner with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in 2022, alongside Ye (formerly known as Kanye West).
On election night, Fuentes doubled down on his comment about women’s bodies, posting: “I’d just like to take the opportunity to thank men for saving this country from stupid b*****s who wanted to destroy the world to keep abortion.”
In a stream Thursday night, Fuentes said it had been a joke but then poked fun at women for crying over his comments.
How Trump secured the “bro vote”
Fuentes’s streams on video site Rumble, which often exceed three hours, receive upwards of 100,000 views, some more than double that, and the topics reflect a similar trend of podcasts which speak to younger male voters who shifted in Trump’s favor.
The Republican appeared on various podcasts as part of his campaign, including Joe Rogan’s. Some of that was influenced by his youngest son Barron Trump, who the president-elect said had told him who he should speak to.
Appearances like this helped Trump speak more directly to younger male voters than the Harris campaign was able to, reaching them via content creators they trust more than traditional media.
What is the 4B Movement?
Amid the rise in misogynistic rhetoric, some women are embracing the 4B movement, a trend that began in South Korea and means they abstain from romantic relationships with men.
The four Bs refers to: bihon (no marriage), bichulsan (no childbirth), biyeonae (no dating), and bisekseu (no sex) and it encourages women to reclaim autonomy over their bodies and reject traditional gender norms of marriage and childbearing.
They have been pushed in this direction over Trump’s controversial decisions, such as taking credit for the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and his personal history which has exacerbated fears around gender inequality and violence.
“Trump’s victory has lit a flame for a lot of women,” said Abby, a 27-year-old from Florida with the TikTok handle @rabbitsandtea. In a video with 1.7 million likes and 9.3 million views, she shared her story of breaking up with her Republican boyfriend and officially joining the 4B movement. She chose not to disclose her last name due to safety concerns since she has since received death threats online.
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