Misogyny on the internet isn’t new, but with the rise of influencer Andrew Tate and other “manosphere” creators, it’s reached scary but idiotic new heights. While these men brag about their success with women, the reality is that the “alpha male” is a front.
those in the manosphere(opens in a new tab), that is, interconnected misogynistic and anti-feminist communities, affirm that men should dominate women. Alpha males and tradwives, seeking to return to a time when women were confined to the home, are opposite sides of the same coin. The former and its inverse, “beta male” (among others, such as “omega male”) are derived from descriptions of animal behavior, particularly domain hierarchies(opens in a new tab) between social groups. alpha animals(opens in a new tab) they are the most dominant and are at the top of the hierarchy, while betas are lower. For humans, however, “alphas” and “betas” are a myth(opens in a new tab). Studies have shown that people are more attracted to men who have a combination(opens in a new tab) traditionally “masculine” characteristics, such as assertiveness, with qualities such as kindness and empathy.
Not just manosphere influencers like Tate and podcasters fresh and fit(opens in a new tab) believe in archaic gender norms, but also affirm have an amazing game with women(opens in a new tab) and I’ve slept with a lot of them(opens in a new tab)“Alpha male” influencers sell their supposed expertise to an audience of (usually) teenagers and young people(opens in a new tab), who enroll in online courses, purchase products, and pay for access to private online communities, all in the service of trying to become an “alpha male” as well. The brand can often feel like a hypermasculine version of self-actualization. But the real lessons learned in these spaces can jeopardize the safety of the women these men learn to target.
In Tate’s case, he allegedly abuses women. Three women in the UK have come forward(opens in a new tab) say that he raped them and did them psychological harm. At the beginning of this year, Tate and his brother Tristan were arrested in Romania(opens in a new tab) on charges of rape and human trafficking six other women(opens in a new tab); they were released from jail(opens in a new tab) and placed under house arrest in April. They are still under house arrest as of publication. In late April, Romanian prosecutors said they were investigating Tristan Tate(opens in a new tab) with an additional charge: inciting others to violence.
While Tate’s case is extreme, it demonstrates one way that the concept of an “alpha male,” who hates women but somehow loves him, is a lie. Men who claim to be alpha and show off their skills with women online often use deceptive at best and nefarious at worst tactics to gain a following.
The alpha male influencer scam is easy to copy, meaning figures like Tate have inspired other would-be alpha males to become misogynistic micro-influencers themselves, repeating variations of the same techniques and myths to build their own following.
Carry @shadesofgame,(opens in a new tab) an account with about 4,500 followers and run by an aspiring alpha male influencer who identifies as a 40-year-old male named Ben. On Twitter, @shadesofgame recently went viral for saying he doesn’t date women over the age of 18-24. This is common in the manosphere; Tate has said that 18-19 year olds are better than women over 25(opens in a new tab) because “they have gone through less dicks”. In the case of @shadesofgame, she said women have “too much mileage and baggage when they’re over” 24, and to trust him because it’s been “examined extensively.”
The tweet may have been deleted
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@shadesofgame posted this shot along with photos and videos of him with younger women at a club. Some Twitter users say these photos are AI-generated, citing the HuggingFace AI Image Detector(opens in a new tab) — but even if they are real, they are part of an illusion that @shadesofgame is run by a “high status” man(opens in a new tab) a key component of how micro-influencers like him gain attention and followers. the same tweeted his scheme(opens in a new tab): Get a VIP table in a club, invite women and a photographer to document it all for posting on social media. “Your reputation will skyrocket [sic] after a couple of times,” he said.
Not to mention @shadesofgame (opens in a new tab)specifically, Twitch streamer and stripper Ivy Wylder quoted her tweet and shared his thoughts on the “alpha male” archetype(opens in a new tab): “The guys behind these accounts hire us (sex workers) to hang out with them and take pictures.” Wylder recounted an experience in which she and other women were paid to go on a boat with men, one of whom posted on her “alpha male” account that these women “come to him.” The truth was that she paid them to be there. Mashable has reached out to Wylder for comment.
When Mashable asked about Wylder’s tweets, @shadesofgame responded with a link to a tweet(opens in a new tab) saying “fake news” and that he doesn’t know Wylder. “Look how he says ‘these accounts’ but he doesn’t mention me. [N]to me,” he said.
Baits and switches are not unusual with “alpha males”. a woman that appeared on the Fresh&Fit After Hours podcast(opens in a new tab) (in a clip on a now-deleted TikTok account) said host Myron Gaines found her on Seeking Arrangement, a dating site for sugar daddies and babies, but never paid her. Instead, she told him to come on the podcast. Gaines denied these claims in the clip. sex workers(opens in a new tab) have appeared on after hours(opens in a new tab) podcast, but none seem to make similar claims about the host finding them on Seeking Arrangement.
Men like Tate and Gaines sell the myth of the alpha male to sell their own products. With Tate, it was his Hustler University online course; with Gaines, is the Fresh&Fit Brand(opens in a new tab) of merchandising and a Patreon. On Twitter, @shadesofgame claims to “teach the game” and links to his Telegram to get people to subscribe; he currently has around 750 subscribers.
