ALEX HOBEN
photo editor
alexandra.hoben@my.tccd.edu
Podcasts and short-form media sites have become breeding grounds for misogynistic and degrading content tailored for a male audience, and its prevalence is worrying.
If you are on platforms such as TikTok or Instagram, more than likely you’ve come across a man trying to give dating advice to turn viewers into the same “alpha male” that he sees himself as. When you stop and pay attention to these videos, a glaring fact is that they believe the only way to uplift men is to degrade women.
A telltale sign of these videos is how many times the host will refer to their partners or interested parties as females or girls instead of the fully grown women they are. They often give condescending and broad statements for the entirety of the sex they are referring to and then will justify their harmful comments against criticism as their own preference.
The “Fresh and Fit” podcast with hosts Myron Gaines and Walter Weekes is a prime example of this trend. These two men have repeatedly propagated harmful language and degradation against women through their content. Gaines has reinforced on TikTok how women “want” and “need” attention, and men shouldn’t fall for it.
He has made multiple claims that the standards for women in a relationship are different from the men. This is obviously ridiculous. What’s ironic is that Gains ends each of these videos by saying “Don’t be stupid,” even though he just spouted some of the most foolish things you’ve ever heard.
Another glaring issue with these types of videos is that it compares relationships with women to animals and livestock. TikTok personality Russell Hartley explained in a post how men should have what he calls a “stable,” which is the rotation of women they can call on for sex. He then says how when a woman starts to ask questions about the future, you should “let her go to greener pastures.” Like that isn’t the most demeaning way to refuse to admit your commitment issues.
If a man has an unpopular opinion but wants to be heard, he’ll make a podcast. This has become a common joke on social media sites like Twitter and TikTok. But the reality is actually quite darker, and we need to stop joking and start holding these men accountable.
The base for these platforms is a younger demographic. When these ideas of stoicism and separation rather than compassion and understanding in a relationship are posted, a younger male audience may see it and believe it. They’ll believe that it’s okay to never have an in-depth conversation with their partner because weakness is intolerable.
The alpha male attitude is a poisonous brand of hyper-masculinity that centers around the inability to have confidence unless you humiliate a woman in the process. I worry about what the future will be like for the young men using these platforms if they can’t recognize how harmful this mindset is.
