Who Built The Toxic Version Of Masculinity—And Who Profits From It?

The more uncertain someone is about their identity, the easier it becomes to influence their decisions, manipulate their behaviour, and sell them solutions. Insecurity is highly marketable—and arguably the easiest emotion to exploit. Patriarchal systems depend on compliant men. If men are taught that vulnerability is weakness, femininity is inferiority, and emotional openness is “unmanly,” then they’re less likely to express solidarity with marginalised groups. Instead, they’re more likely to try and prove themselves within the system—by chasing power, control, or status—rather than questioning the system itself.

As I write this, I want to be clear: men aren’t the problem. Conditioning doesn’t equal malice. A person shaped by a harmful system is not automatically a harmful person. We are all products of our environment. This isn’t a war between men and women, or between identities—it’s a struggle against a system that exploits everyone.

So how does this relate to male incels?

A male incel (short for “involuntary celibate”) is someone who identifies with an online subculture based on the belief that they are unable to attract romantic or sexual partners, despite desiring them.

Human beings crave validation. If you’re a good employee, you want recognition from your boss. If you’re a student, you seek affirmation from your teachers. Similarly, adolescent boys—crossing the fragile bridge between childhood and adulthood—often crave validation from women. When that validation feels unreachable, especially in a culture that equates manhood with sexual success, it can quickly spiral into resentment, shame, and toxic self-definition.

In today’s world, nearly everything is accessible through the internet. It’s a powerful tool for sharing ideas, gathering information, and performing countless essential tasks. While it is a powerful tool for learning and connection, it also makes susceptibility easier to exploit. Algorithms manipulate themselves into confirming, whatever we already believe rather than offering a fresh perspective. They feed us what keeps us hooked.

For young men struggling with identity, confidence, or self-worth, the internet often offers not healing, but a sales pitch: A version of masculinity that’s manufactured, performative and easy to consume.

What is Manufactured Masculinity and how does this affect men?

It refers to a constructed, often exaggerated version of what it means to be a “man,” shaped not by genuine traits or personal identity, but my cultural expectations, media, marketing and social conditioning. It tells men they must be dominant, emotionless, successful, and physically strong. Anything outside that narrow frame is seen as weak, or worse—feminine.

How is it connected to misogyny?

Masculinity often describes itself by saying what it’s not (i.e., not “feminine or “soft”). It carries the undertone that being vulnerable, emotional or having emotive literacy are ‘feminine’ traits and femininity is shameful. “Be a man”, they say. It sells you the idea of emotional repression. “Real men” don’t cry, they don’t ask for help. There is no thing as depression, just go to the gym. Seventy Eight percent of suicide victims globally are men. When you’re taught to repress everything, you feel, when sadness becomes a punchline and therapy becomes “weak,” the cost is not just internal—it’s existential. You connect the dots.

Wrapping toxicity in self-help language is the core of manufactured masculinity. How loneliness and depression is commodified. Content creators encouraging this deliver everything like its absolute truth- no nuance, no empathy. They mix real advice (fitness, discipline, financial independence) with deeply toxic ideas (misogyny, superiority, dehumanisation). That makes their message harder to dismiss, because parts of it feel true or helpful to those struggling. They leverage off algorithmic vitality, often via short, punchy clips that reward outrage, controversy and extreme takes.

What are the consequences?

Normalization of Misogyny: Young boys parroting these assertions like gospel. With negligible self-reflection and full blind faith, they follow these ideas devotedly.

Undermining emotional growth: This culture equates vulnerability with weakness, teaching men to suppress rather than express. That mindset isn’t just unhealthy—it’s dangerous. When emotions are treated as shameful, men are more likely to internalize pain, deny mental health struggles, and avoid seeking help. The result? Self-destructive habits stunted emotional development, and an immature approach to real, complex problems. Authentic growth requires honesty, not repression.

When men are denied the tools to process pain, disappointment, or rejection in healthy ways, that energy doesn’t disappear—it gets redirected. Often outward. In a culture where masculinity is tied to dominance and control, frustration can turn into aggression.

Many men are never taught how to cope with rejection, heartbreak, or vulnerability—only how to win, possess, or assert power. When women are seen as prizes, not people, violence becomes a twisted reaction to feeling powerless.

This is not an excuse—it’s an explanation. Misogyny is not born in a vacuum. It grows in environments where emotional repression is normalized, entitlement is encouraged, and femininity is devalued. Manufactured masculinity doesn’t just hurt men—it endangers women.

This isn’t just a personal issue—it’s a systemic one. If our culture rewards emotional suppression and punishes vulnerability, men will keep suffering, and women will keep paying the price. The question isn’t whether masculinity is “bad.” The question is: Who built this version of masculinity—and who profits from keeping it in place? It’s time we stop climbing broken ladders and start dismantling the structure altogether.

Views expressed by the author are their own.