Talk: The Manosphere, the Male Body, and the Powers that Be

Join us for an early evening with a talk, a video and cold drinks!
With Merthe Voorhoeve and Jade van Doesburg

We live in precarious times. Political regression and technological acceleration are destabilising society while right-wing populist politics reign. At the same time, large numbers of men feel threatened from another direction: they see feminism and multiculturalism as the true evil forces of today. Patriarchy may be one of the oldest systems of power, but today hegemonic masculinity often emerges in a specific context: the online realm, where it has been termed ‘the Manosphere’. This online sphere revolves around misogyny, a reactionary longing for traditional gender roles, an idealization of (hyper) masculinity, and a cultus of the body.

In Julika Rudelius’ work, the (muscular) male body often takes central stage. The body becomes a site for control, discipline, and power. This talk will explore the body-politics of the Manosphere: from incels and gooners, disciplinary practices like fitness and looksmaxxing, to meme characters like ‘Giga Chad’. Some of these phenomena can be seen as a form of ‘body armour’, theorised by Klaus Theweleit as a psychological and physical defense structure, a shield both emotional and muscular, to protect the fragile male ego against anything fluid and uncontrollable.

We will also look at the role of Big Tech when it comes to these discussions. The world’s economic and political developments are increasingly driven by investment capitalists and a handful of Silicon Valley billionaires. Moreover, not only the economy, but also our most intimate inner worlds are at their service. Big Tech wields almost complete control over the current means of influence, specifically through social media platforms. Does the Manosphere, as troubling as it is, not just distract from these techno overlords’ growing power?

We end the evening with a screening of Scanning (2020) by Jade van Doesburg, a quietly intimate video portrait of young men speaking about, and judging, their own bodies and those of their friends. Their conversations reveal moments of uncertainty, vulnerability, and openness, resulting in a disarmingly honest reflection on masculinity and self-image.