{"id":3276,"date":"2026-02-18T14:18:38","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T13:18:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/manosphere.ch\/knowledge\/currents\/"},"modified":"2026-03-21T10:10:01","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T09:10:01","slug":"movements","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/manosphere.ch\/en\/knowledge\/movements\/","title":{"rendered":"Movements"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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KNOWLEDGE\/\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Movements<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Alpha maleAlpha male:<\/strong> Alpha masculinity is a shorthand term used within the manosphere to describe ideals of masculinity emphasising dominance, assertiveness, toughness, strength, authority and independence.
The related concept of hypermasculinity refers to an intensified or exaggerated form of these traits, often associated with rigid gender roles and the rejection of perceived weakness.<\/span> <\/span>, IncelsIncels:<\/strong> Incels, short for Involuntary Celibates, is a self-description used within a specific online milieu of psychologically highly burdened young men.
They interpret rejection by women as the result of what they perceive to be an unnatural reversal of a supposed natural gender order. Feminism and women\u2019s emancipation are identified as the cause. Although primarily rooted in online spaces, incel ideology has been linked to real-world violence.<\/span> <\/span> or Sigma BoySigma Boy:<\/strong> Sigma Boy refers to a 2024 internet phenomenon popularised through TikTok by Russian bloggers. The term depicts a mysterious and self-confident young male archetype. <\/span><\/span>: the manosphere encompasses a range of movements and prominent figures. What connects them is a shared anti-feminist undercurrent.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The pull of the <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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MANOSPHERE<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The boundaries of the manosphere are difficult to define. Many individuals are drawn to its messages, sometimes gradually and without clear awareness. Others actively seek belonging, recognition and identity within these communities.
Individuals may adopt elements of manosphere narratives without identifying with a specific movement or publicly presenting themselves as supporters. What matters is not formal affiliation, but receptiveness to the underlying ideological narratives<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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A research group led by Professor G\u00fclay \u00c7a\u011flar<\/a> at the Free University of Berlin has developed a map of the German-speaking \u201cGermanosphere\u201d<\/a>.7<\/a><\/sup> The researchers identify seven key movements.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Pick-up Artists <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPick-up artistsPick-up artists:<\/strong> Pick-up artists promote seduction as a systematised technique aimed at initiating sexual contact with as many women as possible.\nDating coaches market scripts, routines and behavioural strategies designed to increase perceived success and manipulate attraction.<\/span><\/span> present seduction as a strategic practice aimed at initiating sexual encounters with as many women as possible within a short period. Women are frequently framed as objects of conquest or status markers.\nAlthough Pick-Up Artists do not consistently promote an explicit anti-feminist agenda, they often rely on scientifically unsupported assumptions about \u201cnatural\u201d gender roles and attraction.\nFrom around 2013 onwards, Men’s Rights ActivistsMen’s Rights Activism (MRA):<\/strong> Men\u2019s Rights Activism refers to an ideological current portraying primarily white, heterosexual, cis men as disadvantaged by women\u2019s emancipation and feminist progress.\nActivists claim to advocate for gender equality while grounding their arguments in a narrowly quantitative and ahistorical understanding of equality that neglects structural and sociohistorical dimensions of gender relations.<\/span><\/span> increasingly displaced Pick-Up Artists as one of the most visible groupings within the manosphere. At the same time, the subreddit r\/MensRights played a central role in the expansion of manosphere discourse on Reddit.\nMore recently, so-called masculinity coachesManfluencer:<\/strong> Manfluencers are masculinity coaches with a strong social media presence who promote philosophies and services related to manhood.\nCentral themes include dating, fitness, health, status, wealth and career success. The guiding premise is that men must optimise themselves through the deliberate performance of masculinity in order to achieve fulfilment.<\/span><\/span> have largely replaced Pick-Up Artists, rebranding elements of the seduction industry as commercially oriented self-optimisation programmes.8<\/a><\/sup>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Men Go Their Own Way <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMen Go Their Own Way (MGTOW), is a self-description used by men who frame the rejection of long-term relationships and emotional independence from women not as a loss, but as an achievement.\nWhile some members pursue casual sexual encounters or engage with sex workers, long-term partnerships are generally rejected. Research indicates that adherents often express the belief that women exploit or manipulate men for financial security, status or reproductive advantage.9<\/a><\/sup>\nWithin this movement, men are frequently portrayed as naturally superior. Divorce law and legal systems are described as biased against men. Society is characterised not as androcentricAndrocentrism:<\/strong> Androcentrism describes the condition in which male perspectives and male norms are treated as universal standards within patriarchal societies. The male viewpoint is considered neutral and objective, while female perspectives are framed as deviations.Pierre Bourdieu herefore refers to an \u201candrocentric unconscious\u201d. Because societal androcentrism remains deeply embedded, boys may internalise assumptions of male entitlement during socialisation. This can result in the mistaken belief that men have a legitimate claim to greater social, economic or symbolic resources.\nThe counter-concept is gynocentrism.<\/span><\/span> but as gynocentricGynocentrism:<\/strong> Gynocentrism refers to a focus on women\u2019s perspectives and concerns. Within manosphere discourse, the term is primarily used polemically by actors who perceive themselves as disadvantaged by processes of emancipation.\nSuch actors portray women, contrary to empirical evidence, as beneficiaries of patriarchal structures. They claim that society is organised around gynocentrism and that men are subjected to systemic hostility, often framed as misandry.<\/span><\/span> and FeminismFeminism:<\/strong> Feminism is a collective term for diverse theoretical approaches and social movements united by the understanding that gender is a central organising principle in society.\nFrom feminist perspectives, gender structures can restrict freedoms and reproduce inequality. Feminist analysis highlights how structural privilege benefits some groups while disadvantaging others. <\/span><\/span> would destroy society.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Incels <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIncelsIncels:<\/strong> Incels, short for Involuntary Celibates, is a self-description used within a specific online milieu of psychologically highly burdened young men.\nThey interpret rejection by women as the result of what they perceive to be an unnatural reversal of a supposed natural gender order. Feminism and women\u2019s emancipation are identified as the cause. Although primarily rooted in online spaces, incel ideology has been linked to real-world violence.<\/span><\/span>, short for \u201cinvoluntary celibates\u201d, are predominantly young men who describe themselves as unable to form romantic or sexual relationships despite wishing to do so. Many experience distress, loneliness and frustration, often attributing their situation to perceived lack of physical attractiveness.\nIn incel discourse, rigid hierarchies structure social perception. At the top are highly attractive \u201cChadsChads:<\/strong> In incel discourse, \u201cChads\u201d refers to men believed to possess genetic and physical advantages granting unrestricted access to sexual and romantic relationships.<\/span><\/span>\u201d and \u201cStacysStacys:<\/strong> In incel discourse, \u201cStacys\u201d refers to women perceived as highly attractive and believed to possess unrestricted romantic choice. The term functions as a stereotype within a hierarchical worldview based on perceived attractiveness.<\/span><\/span>\u201d, believed to have unrestricted access to relationships. They are followed by \u201cBetasBetas:<\/strong> Within incel subculture, \u201cbetas\u201d refers to men perceived as moderately attractive and socially average. The corresponding label for women is \u201cBecky\u201d. Both are sometimes described as \u201cnormies\u201d.<\/span><\/span>\u201d or \u201cnormies\u201d. At the bottom are those who identify as incels, understood as permanently excluded.\nIncel narratives often combine self-pity with resentment. A recurring theme is the claim that men have a natural right to sex or partnership, and that women\u2019s emancipation has disrupted this supposed evolutionary order.\nResearch indicates significant psychological distress within incel communities.11<\/a><\/sup> Some studies report high rates of suicidal ideation.12<\/a><\/sup> In online forums, misogynistic and violence-endorsing content is common. In several cases in the United States and Canada, individuals identifying with incel ideology have carried out deadly attacks, which are sometimes glorified within these spaces.\nHowever, a generalised demonisation of socially isolated young men is neither appropriate nor professionally responsible. From a specialist perspective, incel ideology presents a significant risk both to those who adopt it and, in extreme cases, to others.13<\/a><\/sup>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Men's Rights Activists <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMen\u2019s Rights Activists (MRA), more commonly referred to in German as M\u00e4nnerrechtler or MaskulinistenMaskulinisten:<\/strong> Masculinity refers to the social and cultural expectations a man is expected to fulfil in order to be recognised as masculine.\nManhood, by contrast, refers to individual self-understanding and lived experience.\nTerms such as masculinity norms, masculinity expectations or masculinity imperatives emphasise the normative character of masculinity.\nThe term toxic masculinity is widely used in public debate to criticise harmful patterns. However, because it can be perceived as accusatory, professionals often prefer more descriptive language. Research shows that rigid masculinity norms are associated with increased risks of violence and health-endangering behaviour.<\/span><\/span>, form a loosely organised network united by the belief that men are systematically disadvantaged by feminism and gender equality policies.\nThey argue that a masculinist counter-movement is necessary. In more moderate strands, this is framed as a pursuit of what is described as \u201cgenuine\u201d gender equality between men and women. In more radical strands, it includes explicit calls for the restoration of patriarchal gender order.\nThe notion of \u201cgenuine equality\u201d detaches individual experiences from broader structural contexts. It tends to overlook how family divisions of labour, pay inequality and gender stereotyping intersect. In this way, appeals to equality can function as a defence of existing structural male privilege.\nWhen such privileges are questioned, men\u2019s rights activists frequently portray themselves as victims of so-called \u201cstate feminism\u201d. Their arguments are often supported by selectively chosen statistics and framed in scientific language. Recurring themes include men\u2019s health, vulnerability and victim protection.\nAlthough some issues raised refer to genuine social challenges, such as higher suicide rates among men or men\u2019s exposure to violence in public spaces, these concerns are often detached from socio-historical context and instrumentalised. Selectively highlighted \u201cequality deficits affecting boys, fathers or men\u201d may function as recruitment narratives.14<\/a><\/sup>\nMore militant strands of the fathers\u2019 movement, often referred to as fathers\u2019 rights activists, can be understood as a subgroup of the men\u2019s rights movement. In Switzerland, most organisations representing separated fathers adopt comparatively moderate positions.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRed PillRed Pill:<\/strong> The red pill metaphor originates from the film The Matrix (1999). \nWithin the manosphere, it symbolises awakening to the belief that global society is manipulated by feminists and that men are victims of a gynocentric order.\nTo \u201cred-pill\u201d someone means to convert them to this worldview. Those who reject it are labelled \u201cblue-pilled\u201d.<\/span><\/span> adherents function less as a separate group and more as a connective element across different strands of the manosphere. The metaphor of the \u201cred pill\u201d is central to its ideology.\nThe term draws on two cultural references. The first is the film The Matrix (1999), in which taking the red pill reveals a hidden reality. The second is the documentary The Red Pill (2016), which portrays the men\u2019s rights movement in the United States.\nWithin manosphere ideology, the red pill symbolises awakening to a supposed hidden truth: that society is manipulated by feminists and structured to disadvantage men. Discussions about how to \u201credpill\u201d others, meaning to awaken them to this worldview, are central.\nTo legitimise claims of male superiority, red pill narratives often invoke evolutionary biology and essentialist assumptions about immutable gender differences. The ideology may intersect with broader conspiracy narratives, including the so-called \u201cGreat Replacement\u201d and antisemitic claims about global manipulation.\nAndrew Tate is widely regarded as a prominent global figure associated with the red pill ideology.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Masculinity Coaches <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t
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MasculinityMasculinity:<\/strong> Masculinity refers to the social and cultural expectations a man is expected to fulfil in order to be recognised as masculine.
Manhood, by contrast, refers to individual self-understanding and lived experience.
Terms such as masculinity norms, masculinity expectations or masculinity imperatives emphasise the normative character of masculinity.
The term toxic masculinity is widely used in public debate to criticise harmful patterns. However, because it can be perceived as accusatory, professionals often prefer more descriptive language. Research shows that rigid masculinity norms are associated with increased risks of violence and health-endangering behaviour.<\/span><\/span> coaching has become an established field within and around the manosphere. Coaches offer programmes, courses and mentoring services centred on contemporary understandings of masculinity. Prominent figures are often referred to as \u201cmanfluencers\u201d.
Their public presentation is typically characterised by pronounced self-confidence and the promotion of expansive, often \u201calpha\u201d-oriented models of masculinity. The primary target group consists of boys, adolescent males and men who feel uncertain about masculinity in the context of changing gender relations.
Rather than supporting individual self-reflection, some masculinity coaches promote the revival of what is described as a suppressed or lost \u201cauthentic masculinity\u201d. Emotional expression may be devalued as weakness.
A key distinction lies between genuinely transformative support services for men and masculinity-ideological programmes. Not all masculinity coaches adopt overtly aggressive tones. Some present themselves in spiritual, therapeutic or lifestyle-oriented formats. However, essentialist assumptions about \u201cmale energy\u201d often remain central.
This concept of \u201cmale energy\u201d may include strength and independence, but also traits framed as softer or protective. Yet these qualities are typically embedded within hierarchical gender models. Care may be associated with the role of protector, and fatherhood with the obligation to defend one\u2019s family, even through violence if necessary.
Alongside relationship advice, recurring themes include physical strength, health, status, wealth, investment and career success. The guiding principle is often a neoliberal belief that men can and must optimise themselves through consciously \u201cmasculine\u201d behaviour in order to achieve fulfilment.
By foregrounding self-improvement and concern for men\u2019s wellbeing, underlying anti-feminist narratives may become less visible.15<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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RECOMMENDABLE<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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MEDIA CONTENT<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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The Manosphere - A Topic Explainer Produced By ISD \nAn overview of extreme misogyny online<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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An overview explaining the structure of the manosphere, its key subgroups and terminology, and how these communities operate online.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Why some men follow influencers like Andrew Tate - What in the World podcast, BBC World Service<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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A BBC World Service podcast episode exploring why some young men are drawn to influencers like Andrew Tate and examining the social and psychological appeal of manosphere narratives.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Anyone Can Become Rich<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Berlin research team led by Prof. Dr. G\u00fclay \u00c7a\u011flar<\/a> based on its empirical analysis of the German-speaking sphere<\/a>, concludes that the manosphere encompasses considerable internal diversity. The strands range \u201cfrom moderate to radical orientations, yet are connected by a shared foundation of misogyny\u201d.
The researchers note that philosophical and religious approaches emphasising traditional values coexist alongside pragmatic, results-oriented discussions on dating, fitness and financial success. The misognyMisogny:<\/strong> Misogyny literally means hatred of women.
It refers both to individual attitudes that legitimise contempt or violence and to structural dynamics within patriarchal societies.
Misogyny functions as a control mechanism prescribing how women should behave and as a punitive mechanism when they deviate from these expectations.<\/span><\/span> of the manosphere frequently overlaps with other forms of discrimination, including social Darwinism, racism, hostility towards people with disabilities, anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric, antisemitism and far-right tendencies. These may manifest in anti-democratic or anti-establishment attitudes.
Financially, the ecosystem is sustained through monetisation strategies such as exclusive paid content, merchandise and crowdfunding. Content formats range widely, from AI-generated media and podcasts to livestreams and conventional social media posts.16<\/a><\/sup><\/p>

An Australian research team led by Vivian Gerrand<\/a>17<\/a><\/sup> similarly identifies increasing commercialisation in what they describe as the \u201cneo-manosphere\u201d. \u201cMuch of this content promotes the myth that anyone can become rich if they simply work hard enough. It often functions as disguised advertising for influencers\u2019 secondary ventures.
Male insecurity may be deliberately exploited to market individual \u201csolutions\u201d to structural problems. As Gerrand and her colleagues argue, \u201cThe manosphere is not only a reactionary site of grievance but also a profitable digital enterprise that reframes structural marginalisation as personal failure.\u201d
The researchers further identify two significant developments:<\/p>