“Your body, my choice” is a subversive statement that has spiked in worldwide online popularity, igniting a boom in rape threats and sexist rhetoric from the “manosphere.”

A play on the word “blogosphere,”  which refers to websites and blogs  collectively, the manosphere is  defined by the Cambridge Dictionary  as “websites and internet discussion  groups that are concerned with men’s  interests and rights as opposed to  women’s, often connected with  opposition to feminism or dislike of  women.”  

In an article, authors Ben Rich  and Eva Bujalka noted how young  impressionable men worldwide are  strongly affected by the loneliness  epidemic and fall behind in educational  engagement and outcomes along  with personal issues such as romantic  rejection, alienation, economic failure,  and emasculation. According to them,  these experiences allures men to the  manosphere by self-help gurus, pick up artists, and right-wing socio-political  commentators who prey on insecurity  and dissatisfaction to offer the “red pill”  solution of adhering to their ideologies  on topics including rape, service,  gender roles, and toxic masculinity.  Manosphere content can be easily  found on social media and on websites  and blogs hosted by their communities.  

Additionally, a 2024 Vodafone Telecommunications campaign shows  that algorithms lead most boys from  unrelated and innocent content such  as fitness and gaming to misogyny in  about a minute based on a survey with  520 parents and 500 teenage boys by  Opinium, a market research firm. The manosphere also leads attacks on  feminist movements such as MeToo  and currently the 4 Nos movement by  distorting their arguments. 

The manosphere misrepresents  men’s issues as a crisis of misandry  and emasculation, promoting a vague  masculinity that fuels identity struggles.  It enforces restrictive norms on  gender expression, emotional support,  maturity, and tolerance toward women  and queer individuals. As a harmful  construct, toxic masculinity harms all  and must be dismantled. 

The normalization of boys underperforming in school not only  hinders their academic growth but  also limits their understanding of social  issues and their ability to empathize  with marginalized communities. The  widespread acceptance of the phrase  “boys will be boys” reinforces harmful  attitudes, stigmatizes mental health,  and fosters a mindset that makes them  more susceptible to the manosphere’s  rhetoric and echo chambers. According  to the World Bank Group, key factors  contributing to boys’ underachievement  include low participation, low completion rates, and poor learning  outcomes.  

Thus, parents and schools must  become proactive in shaping behavior  by equipping children with media  literacy, enabling them to critically  assess rhetoric, embrace differences,  and seek proper psychological support.  Key actions include challenging—rather  

than reinforcing—the stereotype of  underperforming boys, integrating  media literacy into all academic levels,  incorporating discussions on online  social issues into the curriculum, and  educating parents and educators  on digital trends they may have not  experienced firsthand. 

Furthermore, many men feel alienated from progressive movements  but find validation in the messaging of  the manosphere, which reinforces their  prejudices and anger toward those  they perceive as having wronged or  emasculated them. While progressive  movements often operate in good faith,  they struggle to engage these men,  as meaningful dialogue is hindered  by mutual hostility and name-calling.  To create lasting change, movements  must strike a balance—firmly rejecting  bigotry while fostering pathways for  growth and understanding. 

Above all, it is men who must take  the lead in fostering change, holding  themselves and others accountable for  meeting the basic standards of respect  and decency. There is no justification  for demeaning others as lesser. Men  must develop the social and emotional  maturity to recognize their position in  society, understand the root causes  of these issues, and work toward  meaningful change. While not every  man engages in harmful behavior,  all men have a role in preventing it— ensuring a safer and more inclusive  world for everyone