Emory Andrew Tate III is sitting in Romanian jail. He was arrested on charges of human trafficking, rape, and running an organized crime ring on December 29th, 2022. He also happens to be a social media influencer with millions of fans. Most of his audience is young men.

Tate’s following continues to grow. Cementing himself as a messiah in the internet “manosphere”, in terms of finance, his message is to work hard and be rich at any cost. Or, in Tate’s words, “find a person who is as successful as you’d like to be. Ask them what to do. Then do it and work hard.”

Tate’s biggest source of income, Hustler’s University (online courses about digital money-making), is a multi-level marketing scam. His other business is the reason he is a suspected human trafficker.

On women, he believes that they are the property of men they marry (interview on Piers Morgan, October 2022), they shouldn’t drive (Tiktok video), they are “intrinsically lazy” (Full Send podcast, August 2022)  and that rape victims must “bear responsibility” for their assault (series of tweets in 2017).

 He’s spoken about physically and sexually assaulting women. A video of him beating a woman surfaced in August, 2022. He claims it was a consensual encounter.

“When [Andrew Tate] says women should stay in the kitchen, and that [women] are not allowed to cheat but [he] is…that’s when I lose respect for him, “ says Jesus Corral, 23’. 

Tate’s rise to fame exemplifies two issues teenage boys face. First, struggles with mental health, such as increased social isolation, depression and suicide. Boys report higher levels of disconnect with their peers and a want for closer relationships.

Secondly, Judy Y. Chu, Stanford Lecturer on Boy’s Psychosocial Development, asserts the core of boy’s development is the constant need to prove their masculinity, thereby their worth. 

 As culture has shifted, girls have been told they can be anything, do anything. According to the National Institute of Health in 2020, girls outperform boys in schools. Their socio-political autonomy has grown. As a result, there is a feeling of loss expressed in the internet “manosphere”. 

“[Men] were the ones everyone accepted had power [in the ‘simpler time’]…who doesn’t want a simpler time except for the people who were generally oppressed during that time?” says University of Idaho Professor of Sociology, Leontina Hormel. 

Men have also lost control over the narrative of masculinity itself. Lines between genders are blurring, further contributing to feelings of confusion and resentment among young boys trying to find their place in the world. 

Andrew Tate offers the easy answer: men are destined to control, take, and conquer. He preys on the insecurity and desperation of his audience.

“[Tate appeals to his customers] based on [them] being financially unstable and not being able to have women fall in love with [them]…In order to keep those customers coming back for a subscription, he has to keep them that way,” says Brendan Doughty, 23’.

Teachers around the world have reported harassment towards female students, with male students citing Tate as their inspiration.

Andrew Tate should not be the best role model young men have to look up to. His ideal of masculinity is unhealthy and violent. The first step to healing is recognizing that uplifting men does not involve attacking women.