The videos, which appear on social media sites like TikTok, refer to the poison “aqua tofana,” which was created by an Italian woman in the 1600s for murdering abusive husbands. The clear substance acts slowly, has no taste or color, and was undetectable at the time. While a small dosage can cause cold-like symptoms, additional doses lead to vomiting and dehydration; four doses are typically enough to kill their victim.
The women who are promoting this completely psychotic behavior have dubbed it MATGA, which is short for Make Aqua Tofana Great Again. There are multiple videos showing women bragging about how it is the “solution” to dealing with the male Trump supporters in their life, often overlaid with phrases like “your body, my choice” as they use a dropper to add liquids to beverage glasses. Many of them use the song “Venom” by Eminem as the backing track.
Other videos think they are being more subtle, telling women “what flowers they should plant in their gardens,” many of which are poisonous, such as foxglove.
For example, one post about growing these poisonous flowers that features hashtags such as #feminism and #womensrights is captioned: “Because they’re pretty, and absolutely no other reason why. Remember ladies, thoroughly researching any and all plants before you handle them in any way is both mindful AND demure. We love educated gardeners.”
Internet searches for the phrase “aqua tofana” in the U.S. actually spiked not long after the election results became clear, along with related phrases that indicate intent to use it, such as “aqua tofana recipe” and “how to make aqua tofana.”
The response to these videos, not surprisingly, has been shock and horror. It’s hard to believe that so many liberal women have been so brainwashed that they actually think this is somehow justifiable behavior – even if it is meant to be “funny” – or that they are losing any rights in the first place. Imagine going to a restaurant and one of these women is cooking your food or serving your meal and gets wind of the fact that you voted for Trump.
Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene tagged the FBI in a social media post about the phenomenon, writing: "@FBI these are public death threats and must [be] investigated! These women are telling others how to poison and murder men because they are angry over the election. If you tracked down J6'ers [January 6 rioters], pro-lifers, parents angry at school boards, then you better go after these psychopaths!"
Some women who are slightly less insane and draw the line at murder are instead turning their attention to the radical feminist 4B movement that has become popular among some types of women in South Korea. Women who follow the movement agree to give up dating, getting married, having sex with men, and having children. That country is still dealing with significant gender inequality and a society where there is little recourse for digital sex crimes and revenge porn, but it remains a fringe movement that few women actually follow.
In one video, which has been viewed nearly 10 million times, a woman brags that she is “doing my part as an American woman by breaking up with my Republican boyfriend last night & officially joining the 4b movement this morning.” In another post, a woman says she just had “the fastest, most uncomplicated breakup of my life” when she found out her boyfriend voted for Trump.
Sources for this article include: