Andrew Tate – online content creator, podcaster, former kickboxer, and subject of ongoing human trafficking investigations – has gained widespread influence with millions of men and boys. Tate promotes financial independence, being “mentally and physically strong,” and being successful with women, interspersed with (sometimes violent) misogyny.
For my PhD research, I worked with 30 boys and young men aged between 16 and 19 from working-class backgrounds in Belfast, researching on the role of social connection to protect mental health. In the interviews I carried out, Tate’s name came up constantly.
