Misogyny is spreading on social media through the so-called “manosphere.” These masculinity influencers, often young, well-educated men, present themselves as victims of feminism and call for their power to be “reclaimed.“Young users often come across this content by chance and get hooked. They end up existing in a parallel world full of anger, frustration and toxic ideology.The manosphere is a melting pot for anti-feminist narratives, which, thanks to social media, can spread like wildfire. The content ranges from manipulative dating advice to political demands aimed at weakening the social position of women to outright misogyny. What they all have in common is a fundamental rejection of equality between the sexes.Many videos appear professionally produced. “They are men with microphones, usually in podcast situations, ranting about things like how women should not have a high ‘body count’ — in other words, that they shouldn’t have slept with many men. This manosphere claims to be based on natural and traditional values, but it’s actually about oppression,” says Tara-Louise Wittwer, an author and video producer (@wastarasagt) who has been working on this topic for many years.“According to this traditional worldview, women are actively chosen by men. This is one of the alpha male’s desired motives,” says Wittwer. “But the reality here is different: For the most part, a woman can choose someone herself, choose no one at all, choose another woman, or stay alone and perhaps be quite happy at 30 with three cats. That makes these kinds of men angry. They see they are losing power over women.”After a few hours scrolling through the world of masculinity influencers, one notices they share a similar perception of the world: Modern society is set against men, and men are therefore at a disadvantage. The desire for old social structures and gender stereotypes dominates these social media channels.The rise of the Christian influencers: Christian influences, or “Christfluencers,” as they are sometimes referred to, who invoke religion to restrict women’s rights, propagate the same message.“It’s an attempt to shift responsibility. Along the lines of, ‘It’s not our fault that we oppress women, because God or Jesus said so,’ or ‘Women are just worth less because of biology, are only allowed to be with a few men, are only allowed to do this and that,'” says Wittwer. More and more women are also jumping on board. “Make him a sandwich” is a hashtag used by women who share the views of the manosphere and the ideology of “natural order” in relation to gender.“These women often highlight that it’s their choice to live this dependent life — and that is not to be condemned at all. If a woman says, ‘I want to be a traditional housewife, I’m fulfilled by being at home, cooking and having children,’ then of course that’s fine. Feminists fought for a long time to have this choice,” says Wittwer. The problem is that when women are primarily active in the home, they disappear from public life and are unable to help shape [political] decisions and processes.Many of these women who share the ideas of the manosphere also create accounts and promote their lifestyle as the only valid one. “Anyone who doesn’t do this is labeled mentally ill and told they need therapy. As is so often the case, feminism is portrayed as an illness,” says Wittwer.Poisoned discourse on social media: Wittwer is also active online and regularly produces German-language videos on the topic of equality and solidarity among women. She critically analyzes how patriarchal structures and influencers spread misogynistic content on social media — concise, pointed and with subtle humor.But not everyone likes it. Comments like “but you have everything in Germany,” in reference to women’s rights in the country, are not uncommon. “Statistics, however, show that every other day, women are killed by their partners or former partners,” she points out.The criticism directed at her doesn’t just come from men, but also from the feminist camp. “For some, I’m not radical enough. For example, I don’t sympathize with the 4B movement (This radical feminist movement originates in South Korea and opposes marriage to men; women should not have children, romantic relationships, or sex with men: Eds.), partly because I have a husband myself, whom I wouldn’t want to be without. It’s not about marriage or not marriage. It’s about women having choices and being able to decide. Women and men are not identical, but they are of equal value. And many people don’t seem to want to understand that. It’s about equal rights and equal value.” So, it is exactly the opposite of what the followers of the manosphere, whether men or women, want.The increasing popularity of this misogynistic movement poses great danger, with platforms like TikTok and YouTube serving as the perfect breeding grounds. Influencers sell toxic masculinity images as lifestyle tips and disguise hate as “truth.” Young men are particularly vulnerable to this content. Social media is creating a new wave of misogynistic narratives that can be socially explosive.
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