Most boys and men do not search online for the manosphere, red pillers, looksmaxxers, or antifeminism content. They are more likely to be looking for gym routines, diet and dating advice, ways to make money, or online games.
Social media algorithms are purposefully designed to connect these searches to wider online communities offering ideas about masculinity, appearance, and status. And these algorithms are powerful: a 2025 Common Sense Media survey of over 1,000 U.S. male adolescents between the ages of 11 and 17 reported that two-thirds of adolescent boys regularly encounter masculinity-related content, and nearly one in four experience high levels of exposure. Fourteen percent of boys with high digital masculinity exposure experience low self-esteem, and more than one-third think they’re “no good.”
Two recent Netflix productions — “Adolescence,” a limited series about a 13-year-old red piller who murders a female classmate, the documentary “Inside the Manosphere” by Louis Theroux — made the manosphere, red pillers, looksmaxxers, and incels mainstream vocabulary. The films also heightened the concerns of parents, coaches, teachers, spiritual leaders, and many others globally.
These concerns were the focus of three virtual panel discussions this spring, produced by Maine Boys to Men. The Inside the Manosphere conversations featured Maine Boys to Men Executive Director Bruce King interviewing panelists Shay Stewart-Bouley, Danny Mejia, Jack Grenfell, and Farid Muhammad-Aceto.
The rise of the manosphere may land differently within immigrant and refugee communities. In these communities, boys and men navigate the pressures of adolescence and acculturation alongside language barriers, racism, economic uncertainty, family separation, and the search for belonging.
Yet there is still very little research specifically examining how immigrant and refugee boys and men interact with manosphere content. There is no evidence, only hypotheses, that immigrant boys are inherently more vulnerable to manosphere content or radicalization. But interviews with young men and King, and the Maine Boys To Men panel discussions, suggest a deeper relationship between online messaging about masculinity and vulnerability, the pressure to succeed, and discrimination.
The manosphere is a loose term for online content, communities, forums, and podcasts that present a male perspective. The content often expresses misogyny, or hatred or prejudice against women. This limited view of masculinity has been named “toxic masculinity,” because it is a specific, narrow set of rules and expectations that tells boys and men how they “should” behave. These expectations may ultimately harm them and others.
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Adriano Virgilo Gaspar, a 24-year-old from Angola, observed that “within [the manosphere] a man is expected to be capable of everything regardless of his circumstances. Those who don’t are shamed and labeled weak.”
One harm of manosphere content, as “Adolescence” dramatically portrays, can come in the form of violence against women. A 2024 United Nations Secretary-General’s report on violence against women and girls expressed concern about the manosphere’s unified opposition to feminism and its misrepresentation of men as victims of the current social and political climate.
A subset of influencers, content producers, and members of the manosphere subscribes to red pill ideology. Red pillers believe that they are victims of a society that favors women. The phrase “red pill” comes from the movie “The Matrix.” Red pillers’ beliefs about hidden truths include false assumptions about genders, such as the idea that 80 percent of women are attracted to 20 percent of men, meaning most men won’t find romantic satisfaction.
Incels, or involuntary celibates, are a subcommunity within the manosphere. In the early 2000s, incel communities coined the term “looksmaxxing.” More recently, looksmaxxers such as Clavicular use platforms like TikTok to popularize a prescribed appearance, prioritizing jawlines, eyes, and physique. Looksmaxxing can involve “hardmaxxing” or using extreme measures such as hair transplants, steroids, peptides and other supplements, or cosmetic surgery.
The allure of what the manosphere promises (power, wealth, belonging, and being physically attractive) appeals to boys and men who feel insecure, powerless, or confused, regardless of their skin color or country of origin. Manosphere content very often features a “get rich” message, with pyramid schemes that earn content producers big bucks and content consumers much less.
Gaspar said that “nowadays, there is a growing trend of people viewing physical appearance as a ‘business card’ for achieving better jobs, social positions, and even political roles.” Zacarias Binda, a 19-year-old Mainer originally from Angola, admitted that he feels pressure to look and act a certain way: “Physically, you have to be in shape and good-looking for most women to look at you as attractive. Socially, you have to be cool, act like you don’t care about stuff, and I think it is tough and it puts people under pressure because it is a lot to handle.“
Manosphere content could further confuse new Mainers trying to untangle cultural differences in gender norms. King observed, “These men coming to the U.S. feel like they’ve lost their place in their household because they can’t get jobs — a lot of them can’t get work visas. They have lost their identity and they are frustrated. Their frustration leads to vulnerability. I think ultimately the manosphere leverages frustrations. It gives men and boys an idea of where they should be and what they should be doing, and, especially for boys, a place to direct their anger.”
Enter the manosphere, red pill culture, and looksmaxxing. King explained, “There’s something really comforting about having instructions. It’s like, okay, like this is what I do, this is how I operate in the world. This is how I speak to women. This is how I make money. This is how I look attractive to women. This is how I get what I want.”
While critics of looksmaxxing worry about its harms to young boys and men injecting hormones and supplements, self-care and fitness are not inherently harmful. Exercise can build confidence, discipline, health, and community.
Muhammad-Aceto, a 21-year-old college student, professional bodybuilder, and online fitness coach, checks many of the manosphere boxes, except, most importantly, its ideas and beliefs. Muhammad-Aceto competes as an all-natural bodybuilder and is coached by his father, Chris Aceto, an internationally known bodybuilding coach and nutrition expert. He has seen how fitness content quickly morphs into money-making schemes, with influencers portraying wealth as quick, easy, and available to anyone willing to take the right shortcut.
Parents and guardians may be confused about how to respond to a boy’s or adolescent’s new interest in nutrition or desire to work out at the gym. Teachers and spiritual leaders may hear students joking about red pillers or incels and not know how to respond. The panelists on Maine Boys to Men’s virtual conference, researchers, and professional organizations agreed on several key ways to engage boys and men in discussions about the manosphere, red pill culture, and looksmaxxing.
The first is to send the message that you are present, available, and supportive. This can counteract any vulnerability, frustration, insecurity, or loneliness boys and men may be feeling. Other suggestions are to:
- Ask questions. Be curious. Ask boys and men why manosphere content is interesting or funny, without judgment. Are they starting to use language from manosphere or red pill culture, even jokingly? Is their screen time isolating them? These are so-called red flags, according to Canada’s Center for Exploitation Education.
- Stop scrolling, swiping, and liking mindlessly. The Dublin City University Anti-Bullying Centre reported in 2024 that when researchers searched topics related to sports, gaming, and gym or fitness content from experimental social media accounts, they encountered some form of manosphere content within 26 minutes.
- Reality test. Fact check. Teach young men how to dive deeper and research the accuracy of online claims or “scientific proof.” Talk through the money-making schemes and question the feasibility of “get rich quick” financial scams.
- Listen in. Lean in. Model empathy as a strength. Belonging, purpose, and mattering drive boys and men toward this content. Help boys and men feel heard, understood, and connected “IRL” (in real life). Show them the power of in-person conversation and connection, not a certain number of “likes” or comments on a misogynistic post. Teach them not to hide fragility, fear, sadness, or uncertainty.
Muhammad-Aceto said he has learned to step back from online pressure and ask himself, “Even if I do pursue something online, I try to ask, is it fulfilling to me?” By giving boys and men permission to explore what matters to them, a healthier masculinity leaves room for boys and men to be ambitious, caring, emotionally honest, and connected to their communities, not simply an algorithm’s version of success.
Editor’s Note: Djino Kavula, Amjambo Africa’s intern, contributed to this report.
