Ever since Elon Musk’s team began manipulating the algorithms of X (formerly Twitter), I have noticed a significant shift in the content that is being pushed to users. My “For you” tab is now filled with tradwives, shoplifting videos, and that individual with strong opinions on trouser creases. It has also become a breeding ground for old-fashioned misogyny, a phenomena I believed was on the decline. X, a small social network adored by journalists, is now providing a glimpse into a larger part of the internet that is immensely popular yet largely hidden from those on the outside. It is a web encompassing Twitch streamers, mixed martial arts, wrestling, and boxing fandoms, manosphere influencers, and video game commentators. The way these individuals appear on each other’s podcasts, X feeds, and livestreams, and their tendency to physically fight each other for money, makes them appear like a younger, more muscular iteration of the Intellectual Dark Web.
One of the focal points of this group, often referred to as the Influential Jerk Web, is the discourse surrounding “body count” – a concept that involves shaming women for the number of sexual partners they have had. This phrase has gained rapid popularity, to the extent that Jason Derulo has even released a song about it. While Derulo seems accepting of a high body count, stating “all that ass, must be good at math,” others do not share the same sentiment. In a viral clip, Andrew Tate, a former professional kickboxer turned sexist influencer who is currently facing trial for human-trafficking and rape charges, expressed the opinion that “a lot of the world’s problems could be fixed if women walked around with their body count on their foreheads.” It is quite ironic coming from someone who openly admits to being a former “pimp” and abides by traditional beauty standards resembling a mix of Ryan Gosling and Barbie.
These men offer Gen Z and younger Millennials a traditional template for masculinity blended with the visual language and vocabulary of YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok. Take the example of Dillon Danis, a mixed martial artist scheduled to fight the YouTuber turned pro wrestler Logan Paul in a boxing match in Manchester, England on October 14. Influencer boxing has become a highly profitable content machine over the past five years. The trend has been spearheaded by Logan and his brother Jake, both boasting over 20 million YouTube followers each, along with British streamer JJ Olatunji, better known as KSI. These influencers organize fights all over the world, from Texas to Saudi Arabia, earning thousands of dollars through pay-per-view. Influencer boxing is characterized by pre-match taunting reminiscent of professional wrestling, but adapted for the internet. Unfortunately, this also means an influx of sexually-infused misogyny.
Scroll through Danis’ X feed and you will witness exactly what I am referring to. In recent weeks, he has relentlessly targeted Paul’s fiancée, Nina Agdal, posting photos of her with previous partners, digging out somewhat revealing Instagram posts (she is a model), implying that she has slept with every person she has been photographed with, and referring to her as a “whore.” Helen Lewis: The internet loves an extremophile. These derogatory insults are sandwiched between remarks mocking Paul’s failed non-fungible token (NFT) project, CryptoZoo. In response, Paul has taunted Danis about his deceased father. Most fans view these exchanges about Nina Agdal as part of the promotion for the fight, much like professional wrestling’s “kayfabe” – building anticipation and defending honor in addition to winning the match. Pro wrestling relies heavily on storylines, and the Paul brothers have successfully brought this concept to boxing. For instance, during a press conference in 2019, Logan Paul claimed that KSI’s family didn’t love him. Now, four years later, the two men co-own the sports-drink company Prime.
However, one person who doesn’t find these posts amusing is Agdal herself. On September 6, she filed for an injunction under New Jersey’s revenge-porn laws, accusing Danis of posting a “nonconsensual, sexually explicit photograph” of her – displaying full frontal nudity – to millions of social media users as part of a relentless campaign of cyber harassment and bullying. She was granted a temporary restraining order. Danis deleted the photo but falsely claimed that Agdal was trying to have him arrested. Agdal is seeking damages in response. In a post that has been viewed 18 million times, Danis portrayed the lawsuit as an attempt by his opponent’s camp to sabotage the October 14 fight, declaring that “Logan Paul is a dead man walking.”
In feminist circles, Danis’ behavior would be labeled as “DARVO”: deny, attack, reverse victim and offender. In his version of events, he casts himself as the sympathetic character – a man facing potential jail time for engaging in lighthearted banter, conveniently ignoring the fact that Agdal never asked to be involved in this circus. When Agdal rightfully expressed her concern about becoming the target of his fans’ aggression, Danis resorted to using the popular misogynistic trope of calling her a “Karen.”
I can’t be the only one who believed that overt, unapologetic sexism like this had been left behind. What stands out about Danis’ feed is how hypermasculine his world appears to be – life is a competition between men where women are treated merely as prizes or liabilities. Tate, whose public remarks provide little indication that he enjoys the company of women, shares the same attitude. Perhaps these individuals are fixated on body counts because they view life as one big scoreboard.
Whether or not Danis views his posts as part of the promotion is irrelevant. A portion of his audience will not perceive it as such, as he taps into well-established anti-feminist rhetoric. In this perspective, the most humiliating thing that can happen to a man is losing control over his woman – a viewpoint that places men in a state of constant vulnerability. Other individuals, regardless of how much intimidation or surveillance is imposed upon them, cannot be controlled. But try explaining that to Millennial and Gen Z influencers who attempt to shame women into submission, all in an effort to avoid embarrassment for their assumed male supervisors.
Misogyny occupies a unique space in our culture – it is regarded with disapproval enough to make young men trading off it feel rebellious, but is generally taken less seriously than racism. Its resurgence following the #MeToo movement has led to members of the Influential Jerk Web expressing ideas one would assume had died out with 19th-century laws on acceptable forms of domestic violence. In 2021, the livestreamer Sneako infamously admitted to watching his girlfriend have sex with another man at a party, stating on the Peer to Peer podcast: “It felt like somebody was taking something from me, like someone was violating my property.” He was quick to assert that his desire to watch another man engage in sexual activity did not imply bisexuality, highlighting the presence of brittle borderline homophobia as well.
Two additional points are worth noting about the body-count discourse. Firstly, some individuals on the fringes of the Influential Jerk Web actively reject the exhausting sexual scrutiny of women. Left-wing streamer Destiny, for instance, was raised Catholic but is currently in an open relationship. His partner Melina Goransson frequently mocks Danis and other bro streamers, recently retweeting a post that sarcastically stated, “Quickly now! Do some push ups!! That’s how we change the world!! Now go home and call women whores for not acknowledging your existence and making their own money!!”
Secondly, in accordance with Rule 34 of the internet, the heterosexual male anxiety that Danis and Tate tap into has found its way into pornography. One of those who pushed back against Dillon Danis was influencer Adam Grandmaison, better known as Adam22. He co-hosts a podcast with his wife, Lena Nersesian, or Lena the Plug, where they interview a female porn performer and then engage in sexual activities with her. However, Nersesian engaged in sexual relations with…
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