Andrew Tate and other male supremacist influencers

Andrew Tate:

  • Is a prominent media ‘influencer’. He is also a former professional kick boxer and Big Brother contestant
    • Tate is famous on various social media platforms. On TikTok, videos featuring his opinions had acccumulated 11.4 billion views (as at early 2023). On Instagram, his account had 4.6 million followers before it was disabled for violating Meta’s hate-speech policy.
  • Is known for his highly misogynist (women-hating) and sexist commentary.
    • Argues that men are the protectors, providers and patriarchs, while women are their subservient caretakers
    • Emphasises that men now are the victims, and that the world – “the Matrix’ – is enslaving them
    • Offers sexist, homophobic, and racist slurs
    • Appears with and endorses alt-right commentators
    • Is described as “in the business of grooming anxious or disaffected young men into women-hating narcissists while taking their money” (McNamara)
  • Is alleged to have perpetrated a series of sexual assaults, and is currently under investigation for human trafficking and rape
    • Left UK for Romania saying that this was to evade rape charges.
    • Was in prison in Romania over December 2022 to March 2023 for alleged human trafficking and rape, and then under house arrest while the investigation continued.
    • Had also been arrested in 2015 on suspicion of rape / sexual assault, based on police complaints from at least two women. He sent notes to the alleged victims, stating e.g. “I love raping you.” “Because the more you didn’t like it, the more I enjoyed it. I fucking loved how much you hated it. It turned me on.”
    • Was charged in Romania with rape, human trafficking and forming an organised crime group to sexually exploit women, on June 22 2023.
    • As at May 2024, faces 3 legal cases in 2 countries.
  • Ran a private online academy, Hustler’s University
    • Hustler’s University was self-described as a “subscription-based online course and affiliate marketing program”, but described by some as a pyramid scheme (a problematic type of business that recruits members via a promise of payments or services for enrolling others into the scheme).
    • This was shut down in August 2022, after amassing over 100,000 subscribers,
  • Ran a pornographic webcam business, allegedly based on tricking and coercing women into participating in the production of sexually explicit videos. 
    • Tate himself described his webcam busines as a “scam”. He boasted on his website that he lured women in by getting them to fall in love with him. [See: “Andrew Tate said he broke a woman’s jaw and that his business was a ‘scam’ ahead of Romanian charges”, Jan 20 2023]
    • A BBC investigation of Tate’s online “War Room” group found that the War Room teaches members how to groom women into sex work/prostitution. As it states, “Members are instructed by some of the War Room leadership - known as “generals” - to romantically seduce, emotionally manipulate and socially isolate women before luring them into performing on webcams - often taking all or most of the money they make.”
  • Was banned from Instagram, Facebook,TikTok and YouTube in August 2022 for violating the platforms’ community guidelines (but his content continues to be widely circulated by his followers).
  • Is widely known, and seen positively particularly by young men:
    • In an Australian poll among 1,374 young men in late 2022, 92% knew of Andrew Tate, 35% agreed that he was relatable and 33% were neutral, 25% agreed that they look up to Tate as a role model and 31% were neutral (The Man Cave, 2023).
    • A UK poll by Hope Not Hate in February 2023 found that eight in 10 boys aged between 16 and 17 had either read, listened to or watched content from Andrew Tate. In the poll of 1,200 people in the UK aged between 16 to 24, 45% of males had a positive view of Tate and 26% held a negative opinion of the influencer. When probed about why they like Mr Tate, most said they thought Mr Tate “wants men to be real men” or that “he gives good advice” (Hope Not Hate, 2023).
      • Among 16-17 year olds, only 1% of female respondents shared a positive view of Tate; 82% had a negative view. But for male respondents, 52% shared a positive view with only 19% holding a negative view (Hope Not Hate, 2023).

Tate and other misogynist / male supremacist influencers

  • Tate is an example of a new wave of explicitly sexist, anti-feminist, and misogynist male social influencers.
  • Tate has been described as “a poster boy of a new breed of influencer that has wormed out of the internet’s darker fringes and into mainstream consciousness – the so-called ‘Alpha males’.” (Bond). They are “brash, loud and arrogant” (Bond). “They perceive themselves to be strong and successful, talking about ‘hustling’ and ‘getting money’, often spouting out pseudo-philosophy” (Bond) They despise women, portraying them either as lying bitches out to ruin your life or stupid, simple beings enticed only by six packs and stacks of cash.
  • There is a new wave of male supremacist influencers producing misogynist content in the UK and elsewhere. They target young men with patriarchal advice. E.g., don’t allow your girlfriend to have male friends. Stop them going to nightclubs. Keep them insecure. Compliance is key.
  • Tate and others overlap with or can be seen as part of the “manosphere”, the online ecosystem of anti-women websites. One stream of the manosphere is pick-up artist communities, where men try to manipulate women into sleeping with them
    • ‘Pick-up artists’ and PUA cultures and communities: 
      • Are often virulently anti-feminist. Focus on coercive strategies: manipulate women, ignore what women say, push past ‘No’, etc. A commodity model of sex. Premised on male entitlement.
      • Are typically men “who attempt to coax women into having sex with them through a mixture of flattery, psychological manipulation and coercion” (Kale, 2019).
      • Pick up artist culture: Takes away women’s humanity. Treats human interactions as a formula. Offers a combative view of gender relations. Spreads highly traditional, violence-supportive views of men and masculinity. Overlaps with other anti-feminist men’s rights groups and websites

Why influencers like Tate are popular and influential

Andrew Tate and other male supremacist influencers are popular because they:

  • Tap into longstanding sexist and misogynist norms and ideals. Into age-old notions of women as only sexual objects, as lying and malicious, as symbols of male status.
    • These sexist (and right-wing) norms are far more common among young men than young women.
    • As I have written elsewhere, “Men’s attitudes to gender are consistently less progressive than women’s (Flood, 2015). As documented in another recent Australian survey, From Girls to Men, men are less likely than women to agree that sexism against women is extensive and systematic in Australia, less supportive of principles of gender equality, and more likely to perceive that men are being neglected or even disadvantaged by gender equality measures (Evans, Haussegger, Halupka, & Rowe, 2018). Focusing on young people, young men are less likely than young women to recognise gender inequalities and sexism, more likely to endorse male dominance of relationships and families, more likely to have violence-supportive attitudes, and less aware even of the constraints of masculinity on men themselves. […] among 16-23 year-olds, young men were more likely than young women to agree with various defensive statements about gender equality: political correctness gives women an advantage in the workplace, men and boys are increasingly excluded from measures to improve gender equality, and so on (Evans et al., 2018)“ (Flood, 2018, p. 48).
  • Tap into a sense of “aggrieved entitlement” among some boys and men, who feel disenfranchised, marginalised, redundant, or disrespected.
    • Backlash is a predictable response to shifts in gender roles and relations. Whenever there is progress towards gender equality, there is also backlash and resistance. This represents a reassertion of traditional gender roles and a defence of privilege. (For more on resistance and backlash, see here.)
  • Sell a traditional image of masculinity, an ‘alpha male’: confident, in control, gets what he wants, has sex and money (surrounded by attractive women, rich)
    • Tate offers lonely, struggling boys and young men the promise that they’ll be able to fulfill the tenets of traditional masculinity. To have women, money, a nice car. Young men are “meant to be providers, leaders, bold and confident sexually, and potent financially” (Heather).
    • Their messages are “aspirational, demonstrating power and appeal to men and boys who feel that society has left them behind” (Sugiura)
  • Tap into widespread concerns, anxieties, and insecurities among boys and men. About how successful they are as males, their sexual success with girls and women. Exploit male vulnerability and discontent
    • Haque refers to the “Toxic-Masculinity-Industrial Complex”, preying on men who have lost confidence and faith, in their ability to have a career, find a partner, start a family, etc.
    • Male supremacist grifters offer a vision of self-improvement, using the language of mental health and appealing to boys’ and men’s aspirations. But their vision of self-improvement is disconnected from emotion and community, highly individualistic, shallow, and devoid of empathy, vulnerability, or generosity. (Ging, Why influencers like Andrew Tate want your sons' attention Jan 24 2023)
  • Make effective use of marketing and social media strategies. E.g., Tate uses multilevel marketing to generate followers and influence. Selling and boosting misogynist content in the same way that other influencers sell and boost brands (Sugiura).
  • Are enabled too by social and economic shifts, prompted by neoliberal economics: 
    • “Growing job insecurity, rising property prices and the erosion of the social safety net mean that a new generation of men are variously excluded from the traditional signifiers of masculinity – a career for life, property ownership and the marriageability associated with these.” (Ging, Why influencers like Andrew Tate want your sons' attention Jan 24 2023)

Tate’s popularity thus reflects three intertwined dynamics:

  • Sexist and misogynistic ideologies that continue to be part of society
  • Backlash and resistance to progress towards gender equality
  • Anxieties and vulnerabilities among boys and men

Examples of Tate’s misogyny

  • That ‘Females are barely sentient.’ Females don’t have independent thought. They don’t come up with anything. They’re just empty vessels, waiting for someone to install the programming.’
  • That women “bear some responsibility” for being raped
  • That women are a man’s property, shouldn’t drive, and shouldn’t leave the home if they’re in a relationship.
  • That “I reject women who have slept with more than three men. Vile.” (October 24, 2023)
  • While in his late 30s, Tate claims only to date 18 and 19 year olds as it is easier to “imprint” on them.

Impacts of Andrew Tate’s teachings

Jackson Katz summarises the impact of Andrew Tates’ teachings.

  • Tate’s normalization of misogyny harms girls and young women.
    • Tate and others advise young men to treat women badly. Producing young men who believe that men’s emotional and sexual needs come first, and that women’s most important role is to serve men.
  • The ideal of “manhood” Tate promotes harms boys and young men.
    • Teaches boys selfish materialism, harassment, control
    • Whereas boys need to develop skills in emotional intelligence, to thrive in relationships and at work
    • Many young men are confused, frustrated, and lonely. But rather than encourage them to develop the interpersonal and relational skills that would improve their lives, he teaches them to double down on tired cliches and cartoonish images of ‘manly’ strength and success.
    • At a time when growing numbers of girls and women expect equal treatment and respect, this is a recipe for conflict if not sexual violence. [Katz, How We Avoid the Rise of Another ‘Andrew Tate’ Jan 9 2022]

Strategies, responses, interventions

Three kinds of strategies are relevant in preventing and reducing the impact of misogynist influencers such as Andrew Tate.

  • Primary prevention strategies seek to lessen the initial development of misogynist individuals and groups. Some key strategies are as follows.
    • Education in schools is vital, to present positive narratives and challenge these sexist ones.
      • Schools should include curricula promoting healthy, equitable forms of masculinity, e.g. as part of healthy or respectful relationships education. Elsewhere, I have spelt out how to promote healthy masculinities in schools.
      • Schools also can use media literacy strategies to ‘inoculate’ boys and men against sexist content and empower them to respond critically.
    • Social norms strategies are important to promote gender-equitable norms and lessen the social norms that feed into misogynist extremism.
      • These can include the promotion of women’s and feminist voices, community standards on online platforms, online training courses, and anti-hate campaigns teaching people to recognise and confront misogynist ideologies and practices.
    • More generally, we must acknowledge and respond to areas of male pain and disadvantage (and speak to boys’ and young men’s aspirations), but do so differently from anti-feminist advocates. This involves offering feminist-informed analyses of such areas, amplifying gender-equitable male voices, spreading critiques of misogynist ideologues and ideologies, and noting that anti-feminist efforts are harmful for men themselves (Flood, 2004).
  • Secondary prevention strategies are aimed at those already ‘at risk’ of entering misogynist extremist communities or showing ‘red flags’ for such participation.
    • Support programs and counter-narratives must be used among the individuals at risk here, intended to shift their trajectories away from radicalisation.
    • Redirection strategies, that redirect boys and men to content that challenges such narratives and provides links to relevant social services, also are important (Flood, 2023).
    • Technological and legal strategies are relevant too. Technological strategies including automated counter-speech generation (e.g. generating tweets in response to abusive commentary) and automated and semi-automated moderation.
    • Legal and regulatory strategies include those aimed at platform accountability, requiring platforms such as TikTok to take action against misogynist content, including shifting how their algorithms work.
  • Tertiary intervention strategies are aimed at those already involved in misogynist extremism. They include efforts to facilitate people’s disengagement from violent extremist networks, including e.g. through ‘exit’ programs (Flood, 2023).

Citation

Citation: Flood, M. (2023). Andrew Tate and other male supremacist influencers. XYonline, March 9 2023. URL: https://xyonline.net/content/andrew-tate-and-other-male-supremacist-influencers

Resources

Also see:

Sources used

Further commentaries

(Note: This is only a small selection of the many commentaries on Andrew Tate and other misogynist social influencers. I haven't had time to add them all. But feel welcome to email me to note particularly useful pieces to add.)

References cited

Evans, M., Haussegger, V., Halupka, M., & Rowe, P. (2018). From Girls to Men: social attitudes to gender equality issues in Australia. Retrieved from Canberra:

Flood, M. (2004). Backlash: angry men’s movements. In S. E. Rossi (Ed.), The Battle and Backlash Rage On: Why Feminism Cannot Be Obsolete (pp. 261-278). Philidelphia: PA: Xlibris Press.

Flood, M. (2015). Men and Gender Equality. In M. Flood & R. Howson (Eds.), Engaging Men in Building Gender Equality. Ed M. Flood, with R. Howson, Cambridge Scholars Press, pp. (pp. 1-31). Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars Press.

Flood, M. (2018). Men and the Man Box – A commentary. In The Men’s Project & M. Flood (Eds.), The Man Box: A Study on Being a Young Man in Australia (pp. 46-53). Melbourne: Jesuit Social Services.

Flood, M. (2023). Engaging Men Online: Using online media for violence prevention with men and boys. In K. Boyle & S. Berridge (Eds.), The Routledge Companion on Gender, Media and Violence (pp. 491-500): Routledge.

Hope Not Hate. (2023). Andrew Tate. Retrieved from https://hopenothate.org.uk/andrew-tate/

The Man Cave. (2023). Who is Andrew Tate and why do young men relate to him. Retrieved from https://themancave.life/andrew-tate-report/