List of 'toxic' manosphere phrases explained after 'terrifying' Louis Theroux documentary
Louis Theroux's new Netflix documentary Inside the Manosphere exposed the bizarre and alarming beliefs some male content creators have. If anyone in your life uses these terms, they may share their hateful ideology.
The film sees Theroux sit down with social media stars who are part of the ‘manosphere’, in a documentary one X user described as 'terrifying'.
He interviews HSTikkyTokky, Myron Gaines and Justin Waller, exposing some of the terrifying sexist, racist and homophobic content they're sharing with their followers.
Gaines and HSTikkyTokky have responded furiously after the doc dropped on Netflix, so it clearly appears to have struck a nerve.
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If a friend or family member regularly watches these creators, it can be incredibly dangerous, and you might notice some unfamiliar words popping up in their vocabulary.
Metro has detailed a ton of manosphere phrases to be wary of.
Conspiracy theories
Matrix: A reference to The Matrix movie, this term argues that 'society is structured to suppress men and maintain existing power structures', as per the Metro.
Red pill, blue pill and black pill: First of all, 'red pill' refers to those who believe that men are the oppressed gender in society, while a 'blue pill' refers to an individual who totally disagrees with this belief.
On the other hand, 'black pill' is more extreme than 'red pill' and involves a man who resorts to violence to bring about the change they desire.
Briffault’s Law: This comes from French surgeon and social anthropologist Robert Briffault, who wrote in 1927: "The female, not the male, determines all the conditions of the animal family. Where the female can derive no benefit from association with the male, no such association takes place.”
While he might have had a point regarding animals like birds or kangaroos, it hardly applies to humans and the manosphere has taken it up as a bizarre conspiracy theory.
Derogatory terms for other men
Simp: Typically used as a slang term, a simp is someone who acts submissive towards women and shows them a lot of attention.
Soy boy: A man who is weak/not manly enough - this comes from the bizarre, false belief that eating meat-substitute soy lowers testosterone.
Cuck: Used to describe a man who is weak or feminised - short for cuckold (someone whose partner cheats on them).
Beta male: The opposite of an alpha male, a beta male is lower down the pecking order.
Positive terms for men
Sigma male: A strong, silent, lone wolf sort of man - think Ryan Gosling in Drive.
Chad: Chad is another version of an alpha male that's seen as a 'sexually successful man'. It regularly pops up in incel communities. The female equivalent is a Stacy.
Mogging: When someone makes others look bad by being more attractive than them. It comes from the acronym AMOG (alpha male of the group).
Sexist terms about women
Body count: Perhaps one of the phrases used more commonly out of this list, the term 'body count' is often used to judge women based on the number of sexual partners they've had.
Prime: Those with such views wrongly believe that women are in their prime between the age of 18 and 25. When they reach the age of 30, women are no longer in their prime, according to people in the manosphere.
Awalt: An acronym for 'all women are like that' - almost always used negatively.
Unhealthy ways of talking about dating
Value exchange: A term that is discussed in Inside the Manosphere, it describes the 'transactional' view of a relationship between a man and a woman.
Alpha f**** beta bucks: The belief that women prefer 'alpha' males for sexual relationships, but may decide to settle down with an 'beta male' for financial security.
Sexual marketplace: This disturbing term refers to every person having a 'sexual market value', with attractiveness scaled from one to ten.
Topics: Louis Theroux, Netflix, Social Media
Callum Jones