Trigger warning: this blog mentions toxic masculinity, misogyny, Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), exploitation, grooming, coercion, harassment, domestic abuse, female genital mutilation, sexism, the manosphere, murder, violence, inequality, rape, sexual assault, actual bodily harm, human trafficking, controlling prostitution for gain, quotes from Andrew Tate, incels, men’s rights activists, pick-up artists, men going their own way, femicide and radicalisation.
In contemporary society, there exists a vast spectrum of harmful issues and behaviours that people face every day, but toxic masculinity and misogyny have become a prominent and increasing concern. From studying criminology, I have learnt about a range of topics and have recognised that the trajectory of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) remains unchanged and is continuing to rise. VAWG is not a new problem, it’s just one that’s finally being acknowledged!
Despite government outlining intentions to combat VAWG, insufficient change has occurred which has subsequently contributed to and worsened the amount of gender-based violence and harm. In February 2025 a YouGov survey found that 49% of women feel that the UK is more dangerous and unsafe in the last 5 years. Violence Against Women and Girls has increased by 37% since 2018/19 to 2022/23 and it is estimated from data that 1 in 12 (2 million) women will be a victim of VAWG every year.
Statistics have enabled VAWG to be recognised — but let’s be honest data does not capture the reality of VAWG only a minority of the issue, there are more victims than the numbers suggest.
In the 2021/22 VAWG strategy it was outlined by government that it is essential for children to be educated on consent, healthy relationships, exploitation, grooming, coercion, harassment, domestic abuse and female genital mutilation. Despite this, VAWG has continued to rise, since 2009/10 to 2023/24 rape and sexual assault reports to the police have increased by 264%. In the space of February 2023 to January 2024 there were 2,671 sexual offences committed on trains, tubes and buses in London.
Statistics like these are alarming and painfully real. I’ve heard the comments, felt the unwelcome hand brush past and seen the gestures.
I’ve seen it, I’ve intervened, and I’ve experienced it all, so the real question is why has nothing being done to change it?
Additionally, we are still having the same conversations that education is needed for early intervention. In 2021 government invested £25 million into the ‘Safer Streets Fund’ for CCTV and street lighting, but this does not stop VAWG. A more proactive approach is needed by focusing on changing societies attitudes towards women – specifically misogyny, sexism, inequality.
There were a range of plans outlined in Labour’s manifesto to combat VAWG, including the implementation of domestic abuse experts to be present during 999 calls and specialist rape and sexual offences (RASSO) teams in police forces which have occurred. Still, both of these ideas are currently in the pilot stage, as only five police forces (West Midlands, Northumbria, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and Humberside) have domestic abuse experts during 999 calls and over 4,500 officers have completed RASSO training. However, not all forces have a fully formed RASSO specialist team as promised by Labour – a lot of police forces are allowing partial/trainee staffing, or are relying on cover from external force RASSO teams. Nevertheless, femicide and gender-based violence continues. In the year ending March 2025, 3.8 million (7.8%) of people aged 16 years and over experienced domestic abuse, compared to 2.3 million (4.8%) in the year ending March 2024. Moreover, there were 71,667 sexual offences recorded in the year ending March 2025, which was an increase of 6% compared to the previous year (67,818). Labour’s 2024 manifesto also recognised that the court backlog for rape cases was extremely high. In response to this, they pledged to ‘fast-track rape cases’; however, it was found that 76,957 Crown Court cases were still awaiting trial at the end of March 2025, of which sexual offence cases made up 16%. Of that overarching figure, there were over 1,600 cases of rape that had been open and waiting for over 12 months.
Additionally, the manifesto acknowledged that VAWG is fuelled by misogyny, and outlined that it is necessary that schools teach children on healthy relationships, consent and misogyny. However, the government has only recently published (on the 15th July) the guidance required for schools to follow which includes: ‘helping boys identify positive role models, and challenge myths about women and relationships that are spread online in the ‘manosphere’ - without stigmatising boys for being boys’ and ‘secondary schools will also now include lessons on incel culture, including how a piece of content online can impact a person’s understanding of sexual ethics and behaviour, as well as increasing awareness of AI, deepfakes and how pornography links to misogyny’. This is important, but should have been implemented sooner – and more funding is needed as this is currently inadequate. This suggests to me that the government is not taking VAWG seriously and has significantly affected support to victims and services provided.
VAWG, misogyny, sexism and other related issues have been around for centuries, but the development of social media and ‘influencers’, such as Andrew Tate, has significantly shaped and instigated further violence worldwide. For example, the murder of Rita Waeni in Kenya has ‘sparked outrage and exposed the violent "manosphere" perpetuating misogyny online in the country’. In 2014, Elliot Rodger killed 6 people and injured 13 more before committing suicide in California. He was a misogynist, despised black, Indian and Asian men, which he viewed to be ‘underserving of sex with white women’, and stated in a message ‘I don’t know why you girls aren’t attracted to me, but I will punish you for it’. From this it is evident change is needed to reduce VAWG and toxic masculinity; it is imperative strategies are implemented. However, Andrew Tate’s views, as well as other authority figures including Elon Musk and Donald Trump, have influenced young boys and men to feel comfortable expressing views and executing actions driven by misogyny and sexism. This suggests evidenced-based strategies and techniques must be implemented now in line with current research before further damage is done. This blog will discuss and look into Andrew Tate, the manosphere, the series of Adolescence and the murders of Carol Hunt, Louise Hunt and Hannah Hunt.
What is toxic masculinity and misogyny?
Toxic masculinity can be defined as ‘a particular version of masculinity that is unhealthy for the men and boys who conform to it, and harmful for those around them. The phrase emphasises the worst aspects of stereotypically masculine attributes. Toxic masculinity is represented by qualities such as violence, dominance, emotional illiteracy, sexual entitlement, and hostility to femininity’. Masculinity is important to shape and help boys and men, and anyone else who may identify with masculine energy, understand their own identity. However, if the individual lacks any positive male role models, they will seek an alternative influence. Figures such as Andrew Tate and social media content focusing on indoctrinated violence and aggression associated with masculinity, will influence men’s and boys’ views and increase misogyny, sexism and inequality.
Misogyny is ‘hatred, bias, or prejudice toward women’ and ‘is a belief that women are inferior and men should be in positions of power’.
Toxic masculinity, misogyny and VAWG can be viewed as separate issues, however they do interlink. Misogyny and toxic masculinity can (and does) cause gender-based violence and harm, including murder, which has been evidenced in various cases. Andrew Tate influences and teaches young boys and men to hate women and view them as inferior, and encourages them to be aggressive and dominant. In turn, VAWG arises as a way of expressing that they are in control. Without anyone interfering, stopping or challenging this behaviour, VAWG will continue to increase and become normalised further.
Andrew Tate
I would be surprised if you do not know who Andrew Tate is due to the amount of news stories published about him. However, to summarise, he is a ‘self-proclaimed misogynist’ and influencer who promotes strong views about women and masculinity, specifically targeting his narrative towards young men and boys. This is an extremely sinister strategy and approach as Andrew Tate is specifically targeting vulnerable young boys and men who can be easily influenced if lacking a male figure to look up to. Tate promotes his own agenda of attacking and harming women and girls, which will only increase violence further.
In the 2016 series of Big Brother, Andrew Tate was removed due to his homophobic and racist views. Moreover, he was withdrawn from the series as a video showed he hit a woman with a belt.
Since then, Andrew Tate has become a significant figure in society. It was found in 2022 that there were 100 TikTok accounts which promoted and supported Andrew Tate, which received 250 million views and had 5.7 million followers in total.
Also, Andrew Tate established ‘Hustler’s University’, which focuses on teaching young boys how to become successful entrepreneurs. In a piece of research, it was identified that ‘Hustler’s University’ focuses on how to be a ‘real man’, by inflicting and promoting misogyny and violence. Additionally, this research found ‘children as young as 11 quoting Andrew Tate at school, even resulting in acts of violence towards female peers’.
Recently, the Crown Prosecution Service announced that Andrew Tate will face ten charges, including rape, actual bodily harm, human trafficking and controlling prostitution for gain. This is an important and revolutionary advancement. However, Andrew Tate has already significantly influenced young men and boys. So, what is going to be done?
Andrew Tate has stated a range of different views, but below are a few which significantly stood out to me as harmful and extremely detrimental to young men and boys who support him, and subsequently dangerous for women and girls:
‘I think my sister is her husband’s property, yes, when a bride is walking down the aisle to marry the groom the father walks next to her and gives her away’ – YouTube
‘If you put yourself in a position to be raped, you must bare some responsibility’ – Daily Mirror
‘Women are sex workers. Their primary job now is to find one customer, called a boyfriend, to pay for their entire lives in return for pussy. If they fail at this they do Only Fans or porn, the same game with more than one customer. If they're ugly they work a job (badly) and are miserable.’ – X
‘I have nothing to talk to women about besides either sleeping with them or - wait yeah that’s it’. – YouTube
‘Women shouldn't vote because they don't care about issues outside of how THEY feel’. – X
After researching and finding these quotes I felt angry, upset, appalled and shocked how Andrew Tate spoke about women and girls. I was aware of his views but the way he blatantly disrespected, objectified and cruelty spoke is out of order. I thought about the quotes more and realised how dangerous his views are in terms of normalising violence and harm towards women and girls.
The Manosphere
As a result of the manosphere becoming more prominent and common in the media, it has been found that this has subsequently contributed to promoting and normalising VAWG.
There are a range of different subcultures under the manosphere, but the most known are ‘incels’, men’s rights activists, ‘pick-up’ artists and men going ‘their own way’.
‘Incels’ are men and boys who hold the view that they deserve sex, but women and girls deliberately deny and disallow this. This will cause misogyny and violence towards women, including rape and assault, as men and boys feel that they are owed sex from women and when they don’t get it, they respond in a violent and controlling way to regain control and dominance.
Men’s rights activists are anti-feminist and believe in traditional gender roles. They argue that ‘we live in a gynocentric society that favours women to the detriment of men’.
‘Pick-up artists’ are a group of individuals who educate men on specific techniques to get women to have sex with them and do not believe in consent.
Men ‘going their own way’ believe that it is best to disengage from society altogether as they believe feminism has overtaken the world.
From the manosphere and these subcultures developing, we have seen an increase in misogyny and gender-based violence. This is due to platforms including social media providing a ‘herd mentality’ which has had a direct increase on men’s and boys’ confidence to utilise violence, aggression and harm in response to something they disagree with, or to simply be in control.
This is evidenced by the National Police Chiefs Council, which has declared that VAWG is at ‘epidemic’ levels. Moreover, 33% of 13- to 17-year-olds have come across social media content which promotes VAWG.
The Netflix series ‘Adolescence’
Femicide and VAWG has been an ongoing issue for centuries. But since Andrew Tate’s influence on social media platforms including TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and X, we’ve seen a significant increase in young men and boys harming and murdering women and girls. This is an extremely important issue that requires far more attention than is currently being given.
On the 13th of March 2025, Netflix released the series ‘Adolescence’. This four-part series is about Jamie Miller, a 13-year-old boy who is arrested for the murder of Katie Leonard. The overarching aim of the series is to convey and raise awareness of misogyny and the manosphere, in particular incels.
In an article, Anneliese Midgely (Labour MP) suggested that Keir Starmer should ‘screen the drama miniseries Adolescence in Parliament and schools, arguing that it could help counter toxic misogyny by shedding light on online male radicalization and violence against girls’. This is not enough nor the correct action; the series is important, but showing the episodes will not combat VAWG or reduce the danger of social media influencing young boys and men. By showing the series in schools, young boys will not take the issues seriously. To truly combat this, specific education on the manosphere, toxic masculinity, misogyny and healthy relationships are needed.
‘Adolescence’ has centred the problem of toxic masculinity and femicide in politics, which is now recognised as a serious issue in schools. However, this should have already been on the agenda. Dr Widanaralalage reinforces this, as he has said that ‘it is telling that it has taken a fictional drama like Adolescence to bring mainstream attention to the radicalising potential of misogynistic online content, especially when there are multiple real-life examples of gender-based violence fuelled by such content’.
Carol Hunt, Louise Hunt and Hannah Hunt
On the 9th of July 2024, Carol Hunt, Louise Hunt and Hannah Hunt were murdered by Kyle Clifford, who subjected Louise to rape before murdering her. It was found that Kyle Clifford listened to a podcast by Andrew Tate before he carried out the murder, offering further proof that the content Tate promotes is extremely harmful. Andrew Tate was a direct influence on Clifford’s actions and fuelled him to commit murder, as listening to Tate’s misogynistic and traditional sexist views would have promoted and instigated Kyle to commit the act to regain control and power and take revenge.
When searching on Google, an article by The Independent stood out to me in which Sir Gareth Southgate said, ‘they willingly trick young men into believing that success is measured by money or dominance, never showing emotion, and that the world … including women … is against them’. Southgate’s words suggest that the problem of misogyny and radicalisation is publicly known. By Southgate speaking up about toxic masculinity, misogyny and radicalisation, this will send a strong message about how to act appropriately, and challenge views promoted by Andrew Tate. Southgate and other male figures are looked up to by young boys and men, suggesting statements like the above are important to change harmful attitudes and to be a positive male figure.
Imperative change is needed to protect young women and girls from violence, harm and murder. If nothing is done, femicide will continue and young men and boys will be influenced by Andrew Tate and other influencers within the manosphere.
What should be done?
The news is an important source that people naturally rely on; however, headlines continue to sensationalise and dismiss the reality of VAWG. This is extremely problematic and must change as victims continue to be viewed as unimportant as articles focus on the perpetrator’s status instead for example ‘Crying pervert wipes away tears as he's jailed for his crimes’ and ‘Smirking Team GB Olympic swimmer Antony James, 35, is jailed for raping two schoolgirls and forcing them to have sex with 'strange' men’.
Perpetrators are always remembered, and victims are forgotten, which is unacceptable as this erases and disregards the trauma experienced by the victim and victim’s family. To me, news articles and the media are essentially expressing that the victim doesn’t matter. This is highlighted in regards to the case of Carol Hunt, Louise Hunt and Hannah Hunt, as the victims are not mentioned by name in the title and Kyle Clifford is referred to as a ‘Crossbow killer’. Numerous news articles used this phrase, from Sky to the Standard and the Express to name a few, which is extremely inappropriate and problematic.
This Ends Now began a campaign called ‘Words Matter’ and have recently published a set of guidelines to change how the police and other bodies including the news communicate and report on VAWG. This is important and will cause change to begin but further practical steps are required to reduce toxic masculinity and misogyny.
Educating young boys in primary and high school is important to ensure they understand the dangers of social media and are taught about misogyny, healthy relationships and radicalisation. This is essential, however teachers and parents must also be supported and trained to recognise signs of radicalisation and inappropriate behaviour which are proven to be enhanced by influencers such as Andrew Tate – and the manosphere in its entirety.
Additionally, social media platforms must regulate and have strict guidelines to follow to ensure users, whether young boys or influencers including Andrew Tate, are not promoting misogyny, sexism, inequality, violence and the manosphere. However, Elon Musk, the owner of X, and Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, both have controversial views and massively support Trump. So how will social media platforms be regulated and changed to stop the spread of misogyny, sexism, inequality, violence and the manosphere?
Proactive measures including education and societal change are crucial to prevent Male Violence Against Women and Girls escalating to more extreme acts. Moreover, intersectional feminist research must be considered, as this form of feminism suggests that ‘everyone has their own unique experiences of discrimination and oppression and we must consider everything and anything that can marginalise people – gender, race, class, sexual orientation, physical ability, etc.’ In terms of VAWG, some women will be predisposed and experience harm more due to specific characteristics and this must be considered in policy to reduce the amount of cases occurring.
If nothing is done, gender-based violence will become even more problematic and continue to increase.
