The Manosphere in the Philippines - What Filipino Men Need to Know

Netflix has released a documentary that explores the world of men and their masculinity. It will certainly have the internet divided.

Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere spends time with the male influencers and figures who represent the “masculinity” of men around the world. Men who have built their careers by telling young men how the world really works - from their point of view. Who’s really holding them back. What women want. How to be an “alpha” against the “matrix.”

This is what the manosphere is all about, and what do we do with all of this information?

What is the Manosphere?

As commonly defined, the manosphere is a mix of online spaces, particularly on social media, whose ideas revolve around promoting men as the alpha, the dominant, assertive leader. Its rhetoric is masculine at its core, where women are second and men are successful role models who have the right to assert their masculinity in the most manly way possible.

This idea was born out of a perception that modern society has become hostile to men, and the solution is hyper masculinity as the dominant ideology.

It can exist on a spectrum. On the softer end, you have male influencers like Ashton Hall promoting fitness and self-improvement. Content that is useful and purposeful. Bordering on the fringes, you have males who openly state women should stay in the kitchen or that having multiple relationships proves your masculinity. This is content where the man is at its most extreme.

The documentary shows a world of just that. Influencers such as Harrison Sullivan, nicknamed HSTikkyTokky, offers financial advice on how to earn €10,000 in an hour while profiting off of OnlyFans female models. On the other hand, Myron Gaines, whose real name is Amrou Fudl, hosts the Fresh and Fit podcast where he praises Adolf Hitler and believes women are inferior to men.

These messages of often extremely homophobic, anti-semitic, and sexist messaging are articulated into motivational words, financial advice, and fitness-based content. The figures in Theroux’s documentary already represent the most mainstream. This is precisely what makes their platforms very influential.

The Manosphere as a Business

In Louis Theroux’s documentary do we find the manosphere acts not only as a way of thinking, but also as a profitable business. It’s an industry on its own.

The influencers in the documentary have built their brand by selling themselves as the product: that you can become like them, with a big house, multiple girlfriends, fit body, and a collection of cars and suits. Eventually, you gain millions of dollars and enough influence in the manosphere to inspire young men to follow your tips and hope to gain a better life. And this speaks to male frustration, the male audience that may feel a sense of being overlooked, left behind, or insufficient.

The intention and messaging is almost consistent across every male influential figure. By creating content that speaks to what men ought to do and believe in, then the ideal “man” is achieved. Then you can sell courses, start podcasts, sell supplements, offer dating advice, and promote financial tips. The names of the male figures may change, but the model is identical. Realistically, the real commodity is themselves.

The Harm it Brings - Especially to Filipino Men

The manosphere exists because of social media and influencers. It will definitely not spread if it weren’t for Tiktok reels, livestreaming apps, and podcast interviews. In the Philippines, Filipinos are among the most active consumers of social media, and it is likely that Filipino men are not new to the communities of the manosphere and the message it brings.

The danger it brings particularly to young Filipino men is that the manosphere speaks dishonestly to the real conditions. To be young in your 20s and 30s means an uncertainty about what life may bring you. In fact, we have written an article about this for more explanation. There are expectations to provide financially - for parents or siblings - before they have a chance to build their own lives. Living in an economy where minimum wage barely keeps up with the cost of living and inflation. At the same time, the job market is extremely competitive - the Philippines has nearly 3 million Filipinos out of work and millions more in unstable jobs.

In walks the manosphere that tells you your frustration is legitimate, the system is rigged against you, and external forces or the “matrix” is against you wanting a better life. The best advice? Subscribe to my life advice for a monthly subscription fee and you will have the answers.

The manosphere can also warp Filipino men’s relationships with women. By normalizing “one-way monogamy” that figures Justin Waller and Myron Gaines preach, where a man can have multiple relationships while the woman commits only to him (and their children), the effect is a false, hyper-masculine message of strength. The reality is weakness and disloyalty for equating “manliness” with body count. This is not a model of Filipino masculinity that most Filipino men would choose.

What to Do With This

At the end of the day, if the content you watch genuinely inspires you to be better and be more kind, then good for you and for others. But if content makes you doubtful of women’s capabilities, suspicious of men who show emotion, encouraged to pursue multiple relationships, or convinced that your problems as a male is on someone else to blame, then it is not self-improvement. In the Netflix documentary, most male influential figures are speaking out of resentment rather than project strength.

Filipino men deserve better. Not because they are fragile, but because men here are more than capable to believe in a message of masculinity that is truly inclusive to all.

Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere is currently streaming on Netflix.