Frustrated with hookup culture, Gen Z women are swearing off sex and entering their 'celibacy era'

For some, it's a statement against casual sex — a middle finger to men who they feel value them only for their bodies. To others, it's a means to recover from bad hookups or bad relationships, especially if they've been layered on top of previous sexual traumas.

The movement has taken off on TikTok, where #celibacyjourney has nearly 40 million views, and videos of women discussing celibacy garner hundreds of thousands of views and hundreds of comments. While some men have posted about it, the majority of posts appear to be from young, heterosexual women — often seeking to address the role that patriarchy a... See more

Researchers have posited that the rise in sexlessness could be linked to decreasing alcohol consumption among young people and an increase in time spent on social media. But for the young celibate women interviewed by Insider, it's a direct reaction to feeling oversexualized and undervalued by their male counterparts.