Manosphere: How Traditional Masculinity Made its Grasp in 2025
- Brenna Ponce
- 6 minutes ago
- 3 min read
BY: BRENNA PONCE / CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The “manosphere” is a term used to best describe the new era of masculinity in which we currently reside. The term opposes feminist views and corresponds with extreme right-winged communities. It is believed within the manosphere that feminism promotes misandry, which is the act of hating males strictly based on sex.
It is determined that spikes of extreme masculinity align with the different waves of feminism. Presently, the fourth wave of feminism is difficult to establish, but many define social media activism as its predecessor. The #MeToo movement, created in 2007 by Tarana Burke, made its resurgence in 2017 alongside the exposure of sexual misconduct victims of film producer Harvey Weinstein.
As of then, “alpha male” content has escalated into daily rituals of young men across the world and found a comfortable place within United States politics. This began as the popularity of influencers started to emerge with messages of “bro culture” and “red pill content.” This type of content promotes philosophies of men’s rights and traditional values stemming from the pursuit of the nuclear family and its principles.
Influencers like Andrew Tate, Sneako, Adin Ross, Myron Gaines and Walter Weekes (the hosts of the Fresh&Fit podcast), Joe Rogan, Theo Von and Logan Paul remain the faces of this movement. Surprisingly, the manosphere movement has also welcomed female “red piller” Pearl Davis as one of its correspondents. This has caused controversy as the entirety of the manosphere movement defines women as subordinates with no credibility other than household chores and childbearing.
Donald Trump formed strong relationships with many of these ever-popular influencers ahead of the 2024 election, a move that helped him attract young male voters. His appearances in podcasts with Joe Rogan and Theo Von reached millions. Daniel Cox, director of the Survey Center on American Life, which is part of the conservative American Enterprise Institute, stated that he believes the political gender gap resembles the social gender gap as a sign that young male voters feel left out politically.
“Trump is very good at turning things into zero-sum games,” Cox stated in an interview with BBC. “Young men are trying to understand their place in society that is rapidly evolving, as a group they are struggling more academically, they have mental health challenges, and rising rates of suicide. These are very real concerns, and there’s a sense in the political realm that nobody’s advocating for them.”
Extreme masculinity persists as it has grasped onto sports deemed “manly”. Combat sports promotions such as the UFC and WWE have experienced almost propagandistic notions curating them to a specific audience. Trump and his allies have made high-profile appearances at UFC events (recently UFC 309 and UFC 314), where they’ve reunited with popular male influencers. These appearances are often met with roaring applause from the traditionally young, male audiences. Meanwhile, Trump has received outward praise from WWE’s COO, Paul “Triple H” Levesque.
“I think Trump’s ability as an orator – like him or hate him – the way he does it, he's charismatic in so many ways,” Levesque stated. “I think he likes getting under people’s skin. I think he likes generating heat the way he does. It’s amazing and it’s genius and it worked in our business. Do I think he got that from our business? I think he innately understands that. It’s been his whole life.”
The ring and the octagon have become hangout spots for Trump and his entourage, with combat sports and politics mixing under the manosphere umbrella. Its affiliation with politics has allowed Donald Trump to coordinate with concerns from young men, swaying the 2024 election. With the influence from content creators, the philosophies of the manosphere have rapidly spread, causing the comeback of conventional masculine beliefs.
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