Breaking down misogyny and the effects of its content beyond the microphone.
With the help of social media platforms, sharing content has become hugely accessible. Whether you’re a Twitter (I mean X!) user, TikTok creator, or podcast maker, there’s a platform to have your voice heard.
But in a time when it is so easy to share personal views, it comes hand in hand with those who will use it to share hate and hurtful messages.
In this article I’m looking at the sharing of misogynistic content and how accessible it has become to teens.
But what is misogyny?
Misogyny is defined within the dictionary as the hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women or girls. It is a form of sexism that is used to keep women at a lower social status than men.
But when talking about misogynistic content creators there is one name that always pops up, Andrew Tate.
But who is this guy?
He is a self-proclaimed misogynist currently facing trial in Romania alongside his brother after being charged with rape, human trafficking and forming an organised crime group to sexually exploit women. These are charges that he has denied.
Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan run the podcast series ‘TateSpeech’, which currently has 1.68 million subscribers. They post their content on Rumble, a platform described as the alternative to YouTube, and a place to ‘speak the truth’ without fear of censorship. They are still creating videos on the platform as they await trial.
Below are some quotes taken from Andrew Tate’s various podcast appearances, just to help you understand what we’re dealing with here; ;
“When I ask for her to make me breakfast I expect it to be made. These are the normal gender roles.”
“If a woman is going out with a man, she belongs to that man, so she is his property. So, if she starts an OnlyFans account she owes him some of that money because she is his.”
“It doesn’t matter if a woman wants to be a lawyer or a webcam girl. Unless she has a man directing her… she’s going to fuck it up.”
Bearing in mind the quotes above, here is a statistic from the charity ‘Hope Not Hate’, which aims to challenge hatred and extremism;
Now no matter where you stand in politics, that statistic is there to show the scale of the platform Andrew Tate has and therefore the potential influence he has on teenage boys.
Unfortunately, not everyone sees Andrew Tate in a negative light. I mean, his podcast has 1.68 million subscribers and I’m sure they can’t all be fake accounts…
When I’ve had my very short conversations with those who like Andrew Tate, the same reasons for seeing him in a positive light comes about. To some he is a figure of success, wealth and fame, an individual who doesn’t quit. He prides himself as a self-made millionaire, and often is described as ‘a real man’. Now the idea of a ‘real man’ being someone who is successful, the overpowering alpha-male energy, and all the other attributes is already problematic towards what teen boys are idolising, but with misogyny and sexism entwined within these ‘role models’ it becomes an extreme concern.
Searching up his name on TikTok, I was disheartened to see my screen filled with sound bites of his quotes around success, rather than information around his misogynistic remarks. These videos are edited with inspirational music playing, furthering this portrayal of him as an influential role model figure. His misogynistic views are a contribution to what he considers to be success, and it’s concerning to me that men and boys will see this as what it takes to be this ‘real man’.
What are the effects of Andrew Tate?
But what I want to know is, is misogynistic content impacting younger generations?
I spoke to a secondary school teacher who was able to tell me his first-hand experience of the impact misogynistic content creators are having on teenage boys;
“Seeing some pupils idolise Andrew Tate was really worrying for me, as if this is how easy they can get to this generation then I do start to worry for the future. We need to stop giving misogynists voices so that they can stop spreading hate towards the world…
…We as adults can see how these types of comments can affect one another. However, adolescents are less likely to see this and will go along with the ‘fad’ as it is all over their social media pages, plus it’s what all their mates are wanting to talk about”
There are organisations who are wanting to create change.
Beyond Equality is a charity organisation which aims to assist in helping rethink masculinity, holding workshops in schools all the way to the workplace. To do this they are helping to equip boys and men with new perspectives, and therefore assisting in the fight for gender equality.
Dan Guiness, who is the managing director of Beyond Equality, spoke on the podcast Noted about what the charity is doing to tackle misogyny and help men understand the importance of being educated on gender inequality.
He explained; “Boys feel they have to prove themselves to be seen as a man and having manhood… There is a pressure to fit in and a pressure to ‘perform’ as a man…. Be seen as the guy getting lots of numbers… It can be around violence and being tough. A pressure to get money and be the person that is providing.”
Beyond Equality works to debunk these myths around what it takes to be a ‘real man’, assisting in combating misogynistic content creators.
Educating was also the combat technique brought up by the previously quoted secondary school teacher;
“We’ve been explaining in school how damaging these ‘celebrities’ can be through our ‘Digital Competence’ skills, to ensure that pupils can recognise how these comments and certain online content creators are extremely misogynistic and ensuring that they do not look up to them as a role model”
After learning more about the work charities and teachers are putting in to educate young people that men like Andrew Tate are not figures to be idealised, I feel more positive that there can be change. Although, I am haunted by the 1.68 million subscribers to TateSpeech.
This has been a small scratch on the surface of misogyny in the media, but even from here I encourage you to do one thing;
Please unplug the mic of the misogynist if you ever find yourself near the plug socket in a recording studio with one.
Lucy x
