Slang dictionary
manosphere
[man-uh-sfeer]
What does manosphere mean?
Are you a meninist? Advocate of men鈥檚 rights? Just plain hate womankind? Then the manosphere might be the place for you! As for the rest of the population, y’all probably wanna steer clear 鈥�
The manosphere is a loose network of blogs, forums, and websites like 4chan and Reddit dedicated to men鈥檚 issues, ranging from topics such as life philosophies, self-improvement tips, strategies for success in life, relationships, and sex. They鈥檙e typically opposed to feminism, full of misogyny, and overlap with parts of the alt-right.
Where does manosphere come from?
The manosphere is a part of something called the Men鈥檚 Rights Movement or Activism (MRM or MRA), which has its roots in 1970s male backlash to second-wave feminism. They believe that, due to feminism, men have now become disadvantaged in today鈥檚 society. Women are manipulative, they say. Male jobs are sparse. Male criminals do more time than female criminals. Colleges enroll more women than men. Domestic violence cases are biased … and so on.
The manosphere doesn鈥檛 hold any one specific ideology. Some simply believe the world is gynocentric, or is biased toward women. Some are Pickup Artists, who focus their attention on how to attract and seduce the female sex. Others are Father鈥檚 Rights advocates. There鈥檚 a separatist group known as MGTOW (Men Going Their Own Way), who warn men against serious relationships with women, especially marriage. Then there’s incels, men who blame their so-called involuntary celibacy on women.听
Generally uniting many听manospherians听are the beliefs that听1) feminism violates the natural order of how men and women should act and 2) men should embrace dominant alpha-type behavior to force women to stay in line. 听
Apart from hateful language and sexism, the manosphere听has an extensive set of in-group words, imagery, and memes.听Inspired by The Matrix, the manosphere, for instance,听refers to red and blue pills to represent the choices a man can make in life. Like Neo in the film, taking the red pill means seeing “true reality” (i.e., men are oppressed), while taking the blue pill is remaining in the clutches of feminism. As another example, some call conventional, sports-loving, successful men Chads and the “promiscuous” women who sleep with them Stacys.听Other jokes include the Rationalization Hamster, an analogy for the thought processes of women, and 鈥渋t was my privilege,鈥� a sarcastic meme about rejected chivalry.听
Men鈥檚 rights blogs and websites have grown in number since the early 2000s. However, the term manosphere appears since at least 2009 when a blog of the same name began. The term riffs on words like听blogosphere, the realm of internet blogs and their readers, but manosphere听is primarily听for male interests.听The blog called for a community of men鈥檚 interest advocates who could engage in conversation and share their opinions.
The blog Private Man published an article in 2011 called 鈥淢anosphere — The New Men鈥檚 Club,鈥� which called attention to the increasing amount of forums, blogs, and sites dedicated to so-called masculinist issues. Manosphere then spread as term for the collection of various sites rather than one in particular. Some prominent websites include The Rational Male, Return of Kings, No Ma鈥檃m, Sluthate, Chateau Heartiste, A Voice for Men, and Lookism.net. Then there’s the many darker, more fetid corners of 4chan and Reddit dedicated to MRM. Nobody wants to brave those.
The听manosphere has faced considerable backlash for their content and beliefs. In 2012, the Southern Poverty Law Center denounced the manosphere听as a hate group for promoting a misogynistic worldview, even comparing it to white supremacy and concerned that it promotes violence against women. The 2014 Isla Vista killer Elliot Rodger was found to be a contributor to the manosphere, notably mentioned by听Alek Minassian before he perpetrated a van attack in Toronto that killed 10 in 2018.
Examples of manosphere
Who uses manosphere?
The two biggest references to the manosphere are from proponents and critics. Those who advocate for the manosphere often highlight the meaningfulness of their online community, stating that it鈥檚 a way for them to unite with their brothers. 听
Why are feminists in such an uproar about men having their own spaces, and having online groups and places to chat such as the manosphere? Why don't feminists want men to connect with each other?
Unity is strength. Unite with your brothers.
— MARS God of War 馃敟 (@Patriarchal_God)
We are brave men.
We are strong men.
We represent Manosphere.And we'll prevail.
— Mr Nwosu (@_Nwosu_)
Some of them highlight the importance of the manosphere to their life, whether personal or professional.
The Manosphere helped me understand life in a way I never thought I would. Ready for today's and tomorrows challenges.
— Idhakho (@Van_Dijks)
I'm very excited to see competition drive down the cost of competent therapy
You see guys in the manosphere & entrepreneurial spaces giving amazing actionable advice to build oneself up – this'll drive down the value of traditional therapy
Lower costs = more access = more help
— Dax馃嚚馃嚘馃嚭馃嚫 (@DaxThoughts)
Critics of the manosphere highlight that the rhetoric is hateful and hurting society with its toxic masculinity. They highlight the importance of feminism, not only for women, but for men as well.
I've been reading a bit about the "Manosphere," MRAs and the subculture of misogyny on the Internet. Holy hell, these people are nuts, and dangerous, and feeding into a culture of fascism and intolerance.
— Dr. Sean Munger (@Sean_Munger)
Feminists have done more to help & support me and other men than any MRA has ever done in the history of the toxic Manosphere.
— Tauriq Moosa (@tauriqmoosa)
the more i read about redpills & the manosphere, the more i'm reminded of a male version of the klan…no wonder they hide their identities.
— barbie angell (@barbieangell)
Some seem to stand in the middle, not quite supporting the manosphere, but not quite denouncing it either. They seem to 鈥済et鈥� men鈥檚 frustration and need for a male space online.
I agree about feminism.
The support that key men in the manosphere are offering to others in understanding women and not losing their masculinity is key.
More women need to hear their voices and their pain. It will make them think.
What for? Human evolution in harmony?
— Almudena (@okara24)
Are you seriously trying to equate the entirety of the mansophere with the alt-right? What you鈥檙e doing is toxic feminism and it helps nobody. In fact it鈥檚 why the manosphere came into being. We should explore gender diverse perspectives. The men need equal empathy not contempt.
— Edward (@EqualityEd)
Others will make fun of the manosphere, their beliefs, and their members. They鈥檒l often depict them as men who are sad, overweight, pathetic, resentful basement-dwellers.
Ah yes, the manosphere ! So strong that they are afraid of a plant! Ooooh careful boys that there soy's got phytoestrogen in it ! That'll make ya all girly! — Btw phyto means plant. Hint: plant estrogen don't do shit to a human body. Then again, I *am* a tofu eating trans. 馃槢馃槈
— Anne Forget (@AnneForget8)
I can't help it, manosphere makes me think of dudes who've eaten way too many burgers. Then I start laughing.
— Damien Walter (@damiengwalter)
Manosphere:
Constantly bitching about girls using smartphones at the same time they are using a smartphone.
— Michael Mason (@MichaelPorfirio)
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of manosphere like most terms we define on 亚洲网紅露点, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of manosphere that will help our users expand their word mastery.