Master’s Thesis (in progress)

Undergraduate Capstone

Within misogynist incel communities a hierarchy of masculinity exists and persists through an invented language, or cryptolect. A portmanteau of the term ‘involuntary celibate,’ misogynist ‘incel’ refers to men who collect around their heterosexuality and inability to find sexual and/or romantic relationships. Their hierarchies are intrinsically tied to notions of hegemonic power, masculinity, and normativity. Men that reflect desirable performances and ideologies of masculinity are labeled “alpha” to describe sexual mannerisms and characteristics that are highly sought-after by women. On the opposite end of the scale, “beta” men are identified as those who have a strong history as a provider but lack the personal qualities and characteristics that women find sexually appealing. Moreover, further masculinity archetypes (named ‘Thad’, ‘Lad’, ‘Gad’, etc.) are created and mythologized within online forums via written and meme format. However, these masculinities have not been analyzed by current studies. This research-in-progress investigates three popular online misogynist incel forums: incel.is, r/Braincels, and /r9k/ via textual mining to recognize how misogynist incels construct hegemonic versions of masculinity in order to define and sustain hierarchies of masculine identity. Preliminary findings are forthcoming. Broadly, my research contributes to ongoing discussions within game studies, sociology, anthropology, media studies, and other interdisciplinary fields with regard to power, gender, and online radicalization. I argue that understanding male supremacist groups, ecosystems, and ideologies is crucial for interrogating transnational misogyny and violence against women and gender minorities.   

Realm of Masculinity: Encoding Manhood in the Rap Music Genre

In today’s technological culture, songs and their accompanying music videos are accessible through online websites, streaming platforms, social media outlets and network channels. Their lyrical messages have become a constant presence in everyday life. Texts revealed that music videos create a guideline of how to acceptably act as men and women in today’s culture. Among the most popular music genres is rap, which widely features misogynistic content. Rap artists’ lyrics and videos feature women who are regularly diminished to sexually promiscuous objects, lacking any individual thoughts and/or feelings. The speed and regularity in which consumers can now access this content desensitizes listeners to sexual harassment, exploitation and violence towards women. Many “old school” rappers such as Dr. Dre, Ice Cube and Tupac set a standard for utilizing misogyny in musical projects which has paved the path for current artists such as Future. With over 45 million monthly listeners on Spotify, Future is ranked among the platform’s top 50 artists. Although his songs and albums vary in terms of featured artists, topics and cover art, his degradation of women is constant. As one of the leading artists in this popular genre with a primarily male audience, Future’s construction of violent acts and phrases towards and against women encodes dominance and violence against women as a normal facet to manhood.