The manosphere

Through the lens of a gorgeous girly

Growing a babe has only deepened my love and appreciation for women. We’re incredible. We’re badass. And no matter which way you swing, we can all say a woman was our first home.

That includes every one of the “men” documented in Louis Theroux’s latest special. Sons to mothers, who entered life on Earth, through the precious walls of a vagina.

Sons who believe their mums are the only women in this world worthy of respect. It’s less admin that way.

So it comes as no surprise that the manosphere is alive and well. Nurtured by our dark lords, who also happen to be, men. But it’s one thing knowing it exists, and another seeing it. Confronted by the polarising views of young, seemingly ordinary boys, who once upon a time, were a cute kid.

I’d never heard of HSTikkyTokky, but with a name as jarring as that, it’s hard to believe anyone has.

Somehow, the guy with the goaty has become the guy. The Greatest Of All Time. To his followers at least. I remember when goaties were social suicide and Will Smith was cool. It’s funny how things change.

I was shocked to learn that these boys, who live on the internet, hadn’t heard of Louis Theroux. But there goes the power of the algorithm. I can only assume ours are different.

If I were to guess, I’d say they’re inundated with male American comedians. British humor is too intelligent. The Andrew Tate’s of the world, because, duh. Bonnie Blue, as a reminder that all women are the same. Tucker Carlson, who makes them feel political. The tech bros and Trump, who present as anti establishment, but are in fact, the establishment. And then of course, some inoffensive dog videos, because even Hitler loved dogs.

That said, some of the practices these guys promote, like exercise and a positive mindset, are well known ingredients to a better life. They’re ways of being that all people should foster. But it’s their USP that makes the difference. Women hating. It sells.

It’s not a stretch to assume that these men once faced rejection from the very women that now fawn after them. That they may have been bullied by their classmates or even their own family members. Or that they lacked a stable father figure.

The latter, particularly important in this case, as it was said to be the reality of each of the men documented. Each insecure and resentful, in their own, unique way. The kind of men who prefer to look down on gorgeous girlies, so they don’t have to face their own fear of rejection.

In turn, these influencers have become like father figures to their disciples. Like the Jesus’ of their generation, using social media to spread their word. Except they wouldn’t die for anyone else’s sins. And there’s no way they can walk on water.

But something I found really interesting was how little they seemed to care about those who have helped them amass their wealth. They see their followers as mere customers, and the women they work with as desperate.

They feel no responsibility towards the wellbeing of their fandom, who for the most part are young and vulnerable. There’s no guilt asking them for money under what are arguably questionable circumstances.

In this parasocial relationship, they’re the absent fathers. Severing emotional attachment from their followers, who idolise them. They want one way monogamy from their partners, yet are unwilling to offer the same.

They treat life is a string of transactions. One where they’re the account holder.

Ironically, they’re doing exactly what the capitalistic textbook preaches. Putting their individual gain before that of the greater good. They kept talking about how they’ve escaped the matrix, but they’re actually just a product of it.

If nothing else, watching hypocrites is entertaining. We watched as HS belittled women and then called his own mum, “mummy.” We watched as Trump supporters contested the genocide in Palestine, when we know Trump is largely to blame.

But in a world where nonsense buys influence, and influence buys literally anything, are we surprised that this is who they’ve become?

We’ve got an alleged rapist as President, who once spoke of “grabbing women by the p***y.” We can see how much his wife hates him.

We’ve watched as he, and the rich and famous rubbed more than just shoulders with real life sex traffickers. We know that women have been paid for their silence. That children are exploited. And still, we’re paying our taxes.

We see how power moves, but we’re stuck. Because treating us badly is how the big players do business. To them, it is just. business.

And the men of the manosphere? They took note. They saw that the lower you go, the higher the reward. Et voila. They got the money. The cars. The girls. Notoriety. And a shared belief that being the nice guy wouldn’t have afforded the same.

Is this boy math?

It wasn’t long ago that men and women had their roles defined for them. Men were the providers and that was that. And now that women, against all odds, are playing catch up, they don’t know which way to turn.

Perhaps they feel threatened by how capable we are, which is understandable, because women are thriving. In next to no time, we’ve managed to dominate the working environments they once led. All while being as this gorgeous.

Maybe they’re so scared of being rejected by us that they’re rejecting us first. This is their way of taking control. Of protecting what they perceive to be their masculinity. And it’s kinda cute. Because they’re doing it with a feminine touch.

Brows, done. Hair, groomed. Tan, on point. And a business model that centers the very women they love to hate.

It might look like they’re coming for us, but actually, they’re just obsessed with us. And can you blame them? We’re amazing.