Misogyny – the hatred and subjugation of women – is nothing new. It seems like from almost the beginning of time, men have sought to assert dominance over women. As times change, each generation manages to put their unique spin on the ancient ideology. For our mothers it may have been the demonization of working mothers. For our grandmothers, it was their inability to vote. Millennials are experiencing the rollback of abortion rights. For our children, it seems to be the rise of the “manosphere.”
The manosphere comprises various websites, podcasts, and other online spaces that promote male supremacy, misogyny, and an opposition to feminism. The space caters to young men and boys society has dubbed “incels.” These “involuntarily celibate” men believe they are unable to attract women and are subsequently hostile toward them.
The much-lauded Netflix series, Adolescence, has recently put a spotlight on these ideas, but it all still feels a bit like unknown territory. Here, we’re sharing everything parents need to know about the manosphere and incel culture.
The manosphere explained.
A prominent voice in the manosphere is influencer Andrew Tate, Rolling Stone reported. The British-American former kickboxer and reality star believes women should “bear responsibility” for sexual assault and has openly advocated for graphic, often sexual, violence against women. Tate is currently on trial for allegations of rape and sex trafficking in Romania.
Tate represents something like the blueprint for leaders in these spaces, and he has inspired many copycats. There’s Adin Ross, Sneako, Hamza Ahmed, and Walter Weekes and Myron Gaines of the Fresh and Fit podcast, The Guardian reported. They espouse the same type of rhetoric Tate shares with varying degrees of severity. Still, many of them have found success and an audience full of impressionable boys searching for validation and community.
‘Adolescence’ explores incel culture.
Netflix’s new limited series Adolescence explores just how dangerous the manosphere can be and the strength of influence it has on young boys particularly. The series, which has ranked as the streaming platform’s top show, follows Jamie Miller, a 13-year-old protagonist played by actor Owen Cooper.
Jamie seems like an ordinary boy growing up in the UK. His parents are present, although busy. He has an older sister. And like many angsty teens, he spends a lot of time alone in his room, on the computer. Therein lies the problem.
Spoiler Alert: The series is not a whodunit
Although his parents assumed their son was safe because he was at home all the time, he was being exposed to misogynistic content. In the first episode of the series, police burst into his bedroom and arrest him in the stabbing murder of his classmate, Katie Leonard. It’s not a murder mystery, however. Police have footage of Jamie murdering Katie.
As the show progresses, we learn that Katie rejected Jamie’s request to go out on a date. She makes fun of him afterward, calling him an incel in several comments on social media. That word is what sends Jamie over the edge. The series has sparked much conversation about the real-life implications of these digital spaces, and incited a lot of emotions – and serious concerns – among parents of adolescent children.
Hurt men find women to be an easy scapegoat.
Allysa Czerwinsky, a male-supremacism and online extremism researcher, believes the manosphere is so popular because it offers answers to boys and men who are searching. “You’ve got these pervasive narratives of victimhood, of limited agency, of limited self-worth that are festering into this emotional turmoil,” Czerwinksy told Rolling Stone. “Especially young kids, but also older adults as well, don’t know where to put the blame. And the ideologies offer them a really easy solution. A lot of these experiences are grounded in real hurt, real harm, but then twisted to say, ‘Women are responsible for this.’”
Art imitating life.
Incidents of violence against girls and women may be most viewed on Netflix, but they also happen everyday in the real world, with fewer eyes on them. A 13-year-old boy in Baytown, Texas, recently was accused of shooting and killing his classmate, 14-year-old Anaya Zachary, after the two argued on the school bus. In 2021, 14-year-old Aiden Fucci allegedly stabbed his female classmate, 13-year-old Tristyn Bailey, 114 times, breaking the tip of the knife in her skull, ABC News reported. Those are just two examples of young teen boys killing female peers in the United States.
It takes a village …
Jack Thorne, one of the series’ creators along with Steven Graham, who also plays Jamie’s father in the series, believes the solution to the issue of the manosphere and incel culture is layered. It’s why a solution is not presented in the show. Instead, it’s left for the viewer to contemplate.
“They say it takes a village to [raise] a child. It takes a village to destroy a child. If we’re going to change the culture, there needs to be multiple solutions,” he shared with Rolling Stone. “We need everyone to lean into this problem to save these kids, to stop boys harming girls. It takes us all to do something.”
