About the author: is an assistant professor of sociology at
Incels () are a online community to and several mass killings, including those committed by in California and in Toronto.
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Incels are caricatured as (), , unkempt and .
However, my research with bioinformatician and data scientist Finlay Maguire, psychologist Norann Richard and sociologist Kayla Preston suggests that . Despite this diversity, we find that incels are united by their .
Lookism, and new technology
Incels share a belief that they are victims of 鈥渓ookism.鈥� attractive people receive advantages, while unattractive people are the targets of prejudice. These arguments are , as and research demonstrates attractiveness has benefits such as higher income.
Incels think women are to blame for lookism and its consequences. They argue that women only pursue the most attractive men, which they call 鈥�.鈥� For incels, hypergamy means that women will always 鈥渢rade鈥� their partner for a more attractive man.
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Incels see Tinder and Instagram as . They believe women use these apps to pursue only the most attractive men, leaving the majority of men unpartnered. Incels view an increasing number of single men as unjust and a growing social problem.
White nationalism
Many white incels actively promote . These incels are angry about interracial relationships, diversity programs and immigration. Surprisingly, some white nationalist incels believe they should as they see themselves as too inferior to contribute to the white race.
Incels rank all racial groups by attractiveness. The most attractive white men and women are Attractive men from other groups are referred to as 鈥�.
And these labels are explicitly racist.
The term 鈥淭yrone鈥� is taken from a YouTube series featuring a Black man approaching men or couples saying he鈥檚 going to have sex with 鈥渢his man鈥檚 wife.鈥� Incels鈥� use of 鈥淭yrone鈥� also sexualizes Black bodies and identifies Black men as threatening to heterosexual monogamy, both of which are tied to the legacy of anti-Black racism.
Incel Diversity
While it is easy to think of incels as uneducated, bitter white supremacists, they are drawn from surprisingly diverse backgrounds. Some incels claim high social status, reporting enrolment at the world鈥檚 top universities. In a of 400 incels, 50 per cent reported receiving an undergraduate or graduate degree, while 66 per cent identified as middle class or above.
Incels also identify with numerous racial and ethnic groups, with terms like 鈥渞icecel鈥� (East Asian incels) or 鈥渃urrycel鈥� (South Asian incels). In a 2019 , of 1,267 incels, 55 per cent identified as white. While not a scientific survey, it suggests many incels identify as men of colour.
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Incels that white incels are 鈥渧oluntary celibates鈥� because you 鈥溾�� to have heterosexual sex thus losing your your incel status. The idea here is that white privilege makes it easier for white men to have sex.
The incels鈥� discussions of white privilege are , rather than progressive ideas. Incels call women of colour 鈥渘oodlewhores鈥� (women from Southeast Asia) and 鈥渃urrywhores鈥� (women from South Asia). They argue that women of colour view white men as more desirable and use white men to increase their social standing.
United by hate
On incel forums, avowed white nationalists converse with men of colour, uniting against feminism and bonding over their hatred of women. Despite their differences, incels see women as , and .
Incels think the growing numbers of sexually inactive men are a social problem that will result in more killings or an authoritarian men鈥檚 rights movement. In our research, we find that to this social problem are limiting women鈥檚 freedoms and making them dependent on men.
Our research also suggests that incels are a ready-made audience for social movements that target feminism and advance policies that harm women. Incels are diverse, but are united by their misogyny.
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