Seduction coaches, fitness influencers and even far-right activists… Masculinist ideology has discreetly made its way in recent years on social networks, and in many areas of daily life. Movements incels to the popular concept of “alpha male”, journalist Pauline Ferrari decided to investigate this “hatred of women” which is becoming commonplace in our society.
In Trained to Hate Women, How Masculinists Infiltrate Social Media (published by JC. Lattès), it reviews the mechanisms and references common to this movement and depicts the communities where it is deployed. Who are the masculinists? Why does this theory which advocates the domination of men over women have so much appeal among young people? How is it developing online? Pauline Ferrari deciphers for 20 minutes this worrying phenomenon in full swing.
Why is there so little work in France on masculinism today? How did you go about conducting your investigation?
There is in fact very little work on this subject, whether in academic research or in the journalistic field. Only a few studies have been carried out in Canada, Great Britain or the United States, where attacks involving individuals claiming to belong to the masculinist movement took place. My objective was therefore to carry out an inventory of the situation in France.
I carried out my investigation in three stages. I first carried out a lot of research, contacting academics, sociologists, etc. I then met relatives of masculinists, and former followers of this way of thinking. And I finally confronted them directly, by infiltrating certain groups after creating several fake accounts on social networks pretending to be a teenager. This allowed me to analyze the content of masculinist thought online, and the functioning of platform algorithms.
A report from the High Commission for Equality (HCE) and a survey carried out within the EU have highlighted the danger represented by the rise of masculinist theories online. Why is no action being taken today to try to stem this phenomenon?
This can be explained in several ways. As masculinism operates essentially online – and France has so far been spared from masculinist “killings” – the public authorities only consider this through the prism of malicious behavior on the Net. Masculinism thus finds itself relayed to the virtual field, as if it were not real violence. However, it is a real, very real danger.
Beyond that, even when we talk about ordinary misogyny in our society, there is very little questioning. Anti-feminist content is trivialized. Yet sexist and sexual violence is exploding, and is very often relegated to the background. This was apparently the “great cause” of the five-year term… Today we should question more about the impact of masculinism in our society. It would therefore be wise to know, for example, to what extent the proliferation of this extremist thought may have a link with the increase in the number of feminicides in France…
Why are these theories so present on social networks? What is the profile of these masculinists?
There are several factors to take into account. First of all, there is a phenomenon of backlash (“backlash”) towards feminism, especially in the post-MeToo era. We witnessed a huge surge of violence after the liberation of women’s voices on social networks. Since 2020, when a woman testifies to sexual violence online, she is simply lynched again. The health crisis and confinements have also allowed the spread of these extreme theories. During this period, people spent a lot of time alone behind their screens. “Mascu” content has exploded, with overexposure generated by platforms, and we have seen the rise of a whole slew of masculinist influencers like Andrew Tate.
It is young people who have been most exposed to this content. It’s a bit complicated to draw up a composite portrait of the “masculinist”, because there are several sub-communities online. But what we observe in most profiles red pill Or incels (“involuntary singles”), is that they are young white heterosexual men, who would be socially downgraded, or in any case who would have several life problems, beyond the difficulties in maintaining a romantic relationship.
What is the responsibility of platforms in the rise of masculinist ideology?
Social media has given masculinist communities a place to come together, to communicate, and to grow. Above all, they served as a sounding board, and still today allow a wide dissemination of their theories, under the cover of respect for freedom of expression, as if masculinism were a simple opinion. Like Andrew Tate, masculinists also very quickly understood how the platform algorithms worked, and how the latter could thus “push” their content in order to increase their audience. They also learned to bypass moderation rules. If masculinist ideology has been able to prosper, it is thanks to algorithms.
You explain that masculinists represent a real subculture today, with a language, references…
It is in fact a subculture in the sense that it brings together communities which share the same values, the same codes, common cultural references… and which try to create a bond between themselves. To say that they represent a subculture, which evolves at the same time as society, is also to recognize that it is a large-scale phenomenon.
We also find this ideology in many areas. The masculinists knew how to “diversify”, I talk about it in my book. They have particularly invested in the world of fitness and personal development. Today we find ASMR or masculinist yoga… It’s a way of recruiting people, of making them adhere to their thoughts via other means. And there are of course the masculinists who gravitate around the political field, linked to far-right activism. A phenomenon very well represented in France by Thaïs D’Escufon, former spokesperson for the small far-right group Génération Identitaire, and apostle of masculinism who uses this ideology to attract and recruit new activists.
The last chapter of your book addresses certain avenues for stemming the rise of masculinist thought…
It is first necessary to realize today the danger represented by this ideology, which can give rise to terrorist acts in real life. We must then make young people aware of gender stereotypes and have sexuality education. We also need real digital, media and information education so that young people ask themselves whether the content they consult is news, opinion or influence. Finally, it is important to look at the mental health of young boys. Left to their own devices, they unfortunately too often turn to the Internet to find answers to their discomfort.