The Most WTF Fashion Trends to Shop in 2019

Shop Spring Home Decor Here!

ban.do Stacked Citrus Vase

These sweet citrus designs are the perfect pop of color for your spring table or home office!

Folkulture Throw Pillow Covers

The scalloped design on these 18x18 cotton covers are a playful way to dress up your sofa or bed.

Studio McGee x Threshold Natural Wicker Table Lamp

Give your indoors an outdoor vibe with these charming woven table lamps.

Etsy Wavy Wall Shelf

Brighten your walls with brightly colored pastels. These shelves are great for holding books, picture frames, plants and more.

H&M Floral Throw

Spring is still a transitional season with chilly mornings and nights. Swap your winter throws for this fun floral pattern.

Scalloped Multi Border Decor Braided Jute Collection

Pop this jute rug in your bathroom, on your porch, in your kitchen -- anywhere you need a little statement piece.

Poster Store Botanical Gallery Wall

Customize a gallery wall that suits your style -- this site creates one for you or pick and choose your faves.

Lyla Monogram Trinket Dish

Even a new trinket dish on your dresser can bring a little joy to your morning. This monogrammed one makes a great gift for spring birthdays!

H&M Pleated Paper Table Lamp

This pretty-in-pink table lamp is a great way to bring in soft, spring color into your home -- get two for symmetrical bedside tables or go solo on a desk or console table.

Wicker Planter Storage Baskets

These cute and affordable planters are a fun way to freshen up your entry or kitchen -- add plants, cloth napkins, magazines, even mail.

Jungalow x Opal Cotton Sheet Set

We love designer Justina Blakeney's style and here she gives us a colorful canvas on which to layer all our bedding.

Elin Ceramic Knobs

Add new knobs to end tables for an easy spring refresh.

Anthropologie Fruit Candle Holder

These whimsical candle holders cheer up your decor and are perfect for all your spring entertaining.

Chasing Paper x Jenni Yolo Peel-And-Stick Wallpaper

Peel-and-stick wallpaper makes it easier to upgrade your walls with stunning prints. Try it in a bathroom or kitchen or create an accent wall in your bedroom for this vintage-inspired look by DIYer Jenni Yolo.

Anthropologie Gingham Curtains

We never met a check we didn't like. Gingham is a classic spring look that always feels happy and carefree!

By Anthropologie Sleeveless Draped-Back Asymmetrical Slip Midi Dress

This asymmetrical spring dress is the ultimate piece for donning to dinner parties, dates, girls nights, and even the farmer's market! The bright floral motifs just make sense for the season, and the silky construction of this design lets your look breathe all day long. This midi is a slip-on dress only, meaning no extra buttons or clasps for you!

MINKPINK Florence Linen Ricrac Midi Dress

This solid blue dress gets some quirky, playful charm from the contrasting zig-zagging trim on top, which is just the thing your wardrobe needs for springtime. You can have all the fun with this midi dress, since it fits like a glove with a back zipper and a flexible, stretchy bodice!

Free People Ultraviolet Dress

This spring dress is business in the front, but a total party in the back. The back half secures in place with a gorgeous bowtie and elastic crossing straps for an even strappier effect. The cap sleeves are stretchy and super cozy, hugging your figure with a gentle elastic that moves every which way. And let's hear it for those spring sunflowers!

Gap Fit & Flare Cami Mini Dress

Give us florals upon florals – they're just so fun for this season. This Gap dress is dotted in blooms and bouquets of all colors, so it can easily be worn with the other garments in your closet. The cami neckline is delicate, but secure, adjusting to your perfect fit with two very sturdy adjustable straps.

Tach Georgette Linen Dress in Pink

This gorgeous midi-length dress is saturated in a perfect springtime pink color. The bowties that surround the front graciously recall the coquette aesthetic, which amps up all things girly just in time for spring!

A New Day Maxi Sundress

This tiered maxi dress is the most 'spring' of them all. The fresh light green color is reminiscent of the season's blooms, and it's bright enough to stand out from the crowd. It features an open back design that lets air flow freely, keeping your spring look cool as ever.

Moon River Smocked Bodice Cotton Midi Dress

This adorable midi dress is smocked to the gods! The smocked bodice flows all the way down to your natural waistline, giving it a romantic drop-waist effect. This spring dress would be an amazing wear for date nights!

Lush Flirty Pairing Green and Blue Color Block Ribbed Cutout Dress

The fitted high waist on this dress style accentuates your body's natural shape in the best way. What's more is this pick is doused in saturated blue and green colors to match the sunny days of spring! Pair it with your nearest "It" girl sneakers or multicolor pumps – it can easily be dressed up or down!

Reformation Delanie Dress

This mini dress from Reformation features a halter neck design, which is so easy and breezy for taking on the spring heat. The top is definitely more fitted than it is at the bottom, so you can move about with tip-top comfort. This red and white print highlights tiny little tulips, but you can also shop it in 3 other colorways.

NA-KD Chiffon Drawstring Mini Dress

Why buy spring flowers when you could simply wear them? This mini dress is very much a frolicking in the field style, and we're 100% here for it. The abundance of ruching lets you play freely with your new floral 'fit.

Free People Dahlia Embroidered Maxi Dress

This bright yellow style makes for a quintessential chill-girl outfit for the spring. Pair it with some ballet flats, put some cute clips in your hair, and celebrate the season of spring dresses!

Los Angeles Apparel Heavy Rib Spaghetti Mini Dress

You cannot go wrong with wardrobe basics. This pick comes in 12 colors, so the right match for you is out there. Throw on a t-shirt over this fitted spring dress, or slip into a sheer cardigan for a more flirtatious 'fit.

& Other Stories Flowy Puff Sleeve Midi Dress

Please give us all the florals this season. This pick is a solid choice for all-around springtime activities because it fits comfortably. Wear it to Sunday brunches, farmer's market visits, and lazy afternoons of laying out in the park.

What is the 4B Movement?

According to The Washington Post, this is a "radical Korean feminist movement that swears off men to reclaim a sense of agency." It sounds similar to abstinence, but the trickle down effects are vastly different. Abstinence is taking a step back from anything that usually taps into your pleasure center — and that doesn't always mean sex. However, the 4B Movement is specifically rooted in 'de-centering men' completely.

CBSstates that researchers Jieun Lee and Euisol Jeong wrote a paper for Yonsei University about the movement, and deciphered that the "B" has four meanings:

1. biyeonae — "refusal of dating men"
2. bisekseu — "sexual relationships with men"
3. bihon — "heterosexual marriage"
4. bichulsan — "childbirth"

How did the 4B movement start?

In 2016, Hankyoreh reported that a man in his 30's chose to stab an unknown young woman in Seoul, Korea. When asked why he committed the crime, he gave this answer: "I did it because women have always ignored me." In response to the random attack, Hong Seong-su, a law professor at Sookmyung Women’s University, share a chilling message that the outlet recounted in the article. "The fact that [Kim] chose ‘some woman’ [as opposed to ‘some person’] as the target for his crime suggests it is not going too far to view this as a crime of hate against women."

This radical moment was an inception point for the movement overall, started in opposition to this gender-based violence, as well as gender-based discrimination as a whole. The Korean Herald noted that factors like pay inequality and a Donald Trump-like president of their own (Yoon Suk-yeol) were driving forces in 4B. Since his election in 2022, Yoon Suk-yeol has "promised to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, which has been popular with his anti-feminist base," (via Korean Herald). Between all this and the global sensation of #MeToo, the 4B Movement gained major momentum throughout the last eight years.

The 4B Movement's Lasting Impact In South Korea

According to The Korean Herald, over 150 elementary schools aren't seeing first-graders walk through their doors and it has everything to do with the falling birth rate in South Korea. CNN reports that officials are so concerned, they're willing to do something to combat it. President Yoon Suk Yeol said, "We will mobilize all of the nation’s capabilities to overcome the low birth rate, which can be considered a national emergency."

But, this isn't the first time the birth rate has been addressed. Another CNN article reported that South Korea dished out $200 billion to "boost the population over the past 16 years." Still, things haven't worked in the government's favor. It's evident less women are having children and it seems to directly stem from women upholding the ideology they're not allowing their bodies to be used for motherhood anymore.

American Women's Response To The 4B Movement

After the shocking results of the 2024 presidential election, many women began to rethink how they relate to the men in their lives, finding South Korea's 4B Movement in the process. Based on the current rhetoric about women who don't have children and the restrictive anti-abortion laws with hardly any policies in place to reduce the maternal mortality rate, it's understandable why some women are fearful or fed up — and why many women are now finding parallels to what sparked 4B in the first place.

When you see people like Nicholas J. Fuentes tweeting things like "Your body, my choice. Forever," on the same day Trump won a second term as president, it can leave a sickening taste in one's mouth. One user's response to this was, "Funny how the loudest champions of 'freedom' are often the first to undermine it for everyone else."

Alongside this are men's social movements that are clearly intertwined with the current political climate, too. While obviously not all men believe in these ideologies, there's been a stark rise in their prevalence.

In 2020, ADL reported about the mindset of "Incels" and discovered that they feel emboldened by the 'manosphere.' So, what do they tend to believe? According to outlet, there's a belief "that the current sexual 'marketplace' gives women too much freedom to choose their own partners." Not only that, but the outlet says Incels tend to think women choose to ignore men unless they look a certain way or have a certain status, "leaving the remaining 80 percent of men (including incels) without a potential partner."

Nicole Prause, a UCLA Statistician and Academic, is well-versed in abstinence movements, and what they ultimately indicate based on statistics. "There are a number of similar men's movements already, especially Men Going Their Own Way (MGTOW)," she says. According to her, MGTOW don't pursue marriage or relationships with women, but "seek sex when it is on their 'terms.'" She says, "They're often viewing it as a battle pitting sexes against one another. These movements tend to be separatist, often evolving into misogyny and violent speech, such as glorifying sexual coercion and rape."

As a result of these growing men's movements and the incoming 47th President of the United States — a convicted felon with multiple allegations of sexual assault — there have been growing calls from women on social media to consider the 4B Movement for themselves. X user @jungsooyawning wrote, "american women it's time to learn from the koreans and adopt the 4b movement as a matter of fact women from all over the world should adopt the 4b movement i'm so serious," on the platform.

Freelance writer Daria Yasmiene also wrote about about why she's taking part in the movement for POPSUGAR. She said, "As a Black woman who has lived through three back-to-back elections with Trump as a focal point, I'm so far beyond tired that I need a lifestyle change." Ultimately, she wants to continue having the freedom to choose to live her life in a way that's not solely governed by men.

"With the little autonomy that I have left, I would rather be alone and safe from the consequences of male influence in my life than lie next to someone who doesn't see me as an equal. We deserve so much more than that."

Meanwhile, Sex and Relationships Coach, Leah Carey says that 4B "makes sense as a response to realizing that a majority of men valued the economy over a woman's right to self-determination." Depending on where you stand, she also says that it can be "seen as 'punishment' for men" or "as a choice of self-determination and self-protection for women." Somatic Trauma Therapist, Blessing Uchendu shares Carey's sentiments in that the movement is "a response to patriarchy and the centering of men and conversely the objectification of women, with the expectation that they fulfill roles as wives and mothers."

Potential Benefits Of The 4B Movement

So with all that in mind, is a movement like 4B beneficial? And is it even sustainable? I'm not going to tell you that you should or shouldn't join the 4B Movement because it's a personal decision. It's always wise to examine where you are in life instead of relying on social media, news outlets, or even the government to determine what you're going to believe. Still, there may be some benefits to the 4B Movement that outweigh any potential fallouts.

Carey says that "not being refused care for reproductive matters" is a potential benefit of 4B, while also highlighting that "the mental health benefits can also be huge for people who deal with anxiety, depression, or anything else that might cause emotional hardship in the current climate."

This could also lead to women identifying and honoring their true desires instead of following society's scripts about who they should be. Somatic Trauma Therapist, Blessing Uchendu believes that 4B is about women de-centering men and re-centering themselves — about "being the 'stars of their own stories,' rather than supporting characters in a malde-dominated narrative." Uchendu says. "It can be incredibly empowering to step away from systems that have felt compulsory in order to reflect on whether you are making decisions centered on yourself and your desires or whether these decisions are centered on the expectations of the society around you."

The most important thing Carey wants to note is that women aren't unable to find love and joy ever again by participating in the 4B movement. "Just because a woman chooses not to date, have sex, get married, or have kids with a man doesn't mean she can't do those things: with other women. it's more and more common for adult women to explore their same-sex attractions after divorce or widowhood," she notes. "With a generation of young women growing up with the understanding that heterosexuality is not the only option, we may see a wave of younger women also exploring in this arena (in addition to all the younger women who already know themselves to be queer)."

I would also say that you can always go back to dating and engaging with men whenever you want — this movement doesn't have to be a permanent choice if you don't want it to be. The whole point is to take charge and embrace your own sense of agency.

Yet, Prause does pause to mention the downside to "separatist movements." She explains that without support from men, women could struggle financially given pay disparities and other gender-based work inequities. Still, she says this doesn't really affect much if women have been figuring things out for themselves with little help from men.

Ultimately Uchendu says women having the freedom to exist without the weight of society's patriarchal standards on their shoulders is the "ultimate freedom." She says, "In the words of Audre Lorde 'If I did not define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people's fantasies for me and be eaten alive."

No woman should have to live in fear of having violence committed against her, but history continues repeating itself in terms of how society treats our bodies. "When a woman's right to make choices about her own body and health care are removed, she may decide to not put herself in a position where pregnancy can become an option," Carey says.

Prause chimes in with, "On average, women are more likely to experience mental health declines with marriage to a man (the opposite is true for men). While men also can experience domestic violence and sexual assault, the risks are exceptionally higher for women." Not only that, but she also points out that "women risk unwanted pregnancy, from which they now have fewer healthcare rights to address" and "are at much higher risk for sexually transmitted infections, even from their regular romantic partner."

As if that weren't a slap in the fact, Prause mentions that "childcare continues to fall disproportionately on women and does cause less income for women over time."