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Express Tribune
02-07-2025
- General
- Express Tribune
Making misogyny mainstream
Misogyny is spreading on social media through the so-called "manosphere," reports DW. 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 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. 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 Wittwer is also active online and regularly produces German-language videos on the topic of equality and solidarity among women. She critically analyses how patriarchal structures and influencers spread misogynistic content on social media — concise, pointed and with subtle humour. 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 sympathise with the 4B movement , partly because I have a husband myself, whom I wouldn't want to be without," says Wittwer. The radical 4B feminist movement originates in South Korea and opposes marriage to men; women should not have children, romantic relationships, or sex with men. "It's not about marriage or not marriage. It's about women having choices and being able to decide," continues Wiitwer. "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.
Fox News
02-06-2025
- General
- Fox News
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova reacts as Oregon HS girls refuse to share podium with trans athlete
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova reacted to two Oregon high school athletes who refused to stand with a transgender athlete following the girls' high jump state championships on Saturday. Reese Eckard, of Sherwood High School, and Alexa Anderson, of Tigard High School, stepped down from the podium and refused to share the spot with the transgender athlete who finished in fifth place. Anderson finished in third and Eckard in fourth. Footage obtained by Fox News Digital showed an official confronting Eckard and Anderson. "Women and girls are punished no matter what they do in this misogynistic world…" Navratilova wrote on X. She added that "Feminists never asked for this. At least not the great majority of us… never." Navratilova has been a major voice in the effort to protect women's sports. She has been particularly critical of Democrats who have failed to step up to the plate, with their Republican colleagues, to help pass legislation to prohibit males from competing in girls' and women's sports. At the start of the year, Navratilova criticized Democratic lawmakers who killed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. The tennis legend called on Democrats to "grow a spine" in a post on social media. President Donald Trump signed the "No Men in Women's Sports" executive order in February, and Navratilova lamented that Democrats failed to do what the president did. "I hate that the Democrats totally failed women and girls on this very clear issue of women's sports being for females only," she wrote in a post on X. She then posed a question to Democrats as some states thumbed their nose at Trump's executive order. "What are the Dems willing to give up for men who identify as trans?" she asked on X. "Abortion… the Constitution… rule of law… That's just for starters…" Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
