Incel, short for 'involuntary celibate', is an online term used to refer to heterosexual men who struggle with romantic relationships, and blame women for their lack of success.
At the core of the incel online community is the idea that women have too much power in society, particularly in terms of choosing a romantic partner, and that women ruin men's lives when they reject them. They also believe that attractiveness is pre-determined by genetic factors, which dictate our physical appearance, and these are the main features that women find attractive in men.
These ideas lead them to believe misogynistic ideals about women's role in society as inferior to men. Both in the UK and America, violent acts against women have been linked to incel culture, including the killing five people in Plymouth by Jake Davison, who had an obsession with incel culture.
READ MORE: Liverpool venues where the city's top chefs like to eat out
The term incel first became well-known following Elliot Rodger’s 2014 spree killing in Isla Vista, California. Before carrying out his attack, Rodger left a video and a manifesto-type autobiographical account detailing his “involuntary celibacy”.
Influencers and men's rights activists like Andrew Tate have helped the movement to grow in recent years, as members of incel communities often begin their journey towards these misogynistic beliefs engaging with non-violent, more mild content created by these influencers. Incel users have usually migrated from older, milder online misogyny categories such as Pick-Up Artists and Men’s Rights Activists.
These overall themes of failure and frustration - along with anger and hate - are common on incel forums. Men in their teens or early 20s go to message boards out of loneliness, and discover a community of angry men pushing the idea that they have done nothing wrong, but their genetics and women's attitudes have meant they are destined to fail in romantic encounters.
Discover, learn, grow. We are Curiously. Follow us on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
READ NEXT:
- Mum slammed for offering to pay for 'favourite' son's 'dream' wedding
- B&M shoppers divided by £2.99 chocolate snack that's 'just wrong'
- Primark's 'cute' £4 slippers are almost identical to £100 designer version
Home Bargains shoppers 'keeping an eye out' for 'perfect' £6 item
Aldi launch new 'energy saving' SpecialBuy range to tackle cost of living crisis
