According to the manosphere, real men like supermodels, superyachts and supercars
Are you aware of the ‘manosphere’?
It’s a field revelling in and promoting masculinity and misogyny and is often far-right and incel-adjacent. If you’re not aware of, for want of a better word, the movement, you might have heard of its best-known character, Andrew Tate – although lesser manospheric influencers are also available, which must annoy them immensely, not being the alpha in an area where that’s the predominant shtick.
There are podcasts, videos, blogs, websites and plenty of online rabbit holes to disappear into if you want to be more of a man and rail against the unfairness of the way the world is set up against men. It’s also the subject of a new Louis Theroux documentary, which I probably won’t bear to watch.
I’ve only been loosely aware of the manosphere until now, but I do know I dislike its characters. I think I’d find watching the documentary, albeit for slightly different reasons, like sitting through Mrs Brown’s Boys or a Drive to Survive episode starring Christian Horner. I am chronically cringe-avoidant.
I might not need to add that the movement is absolutely not my cup of tea, which probably makes me a cuck or a simp or an NPC or a beta or I don’t know what else (do let me know in the comments).
But there is some car tangentiality to all this. Some of these guys have become rich from doing it, because they have big audiences to whom they sell things. As Theroux told Wired last week, “it’s highly profitable to be a dick on the internet”. Luxury cars and sports cars, as well as bulging muscles, mute model girlfriends and big houses with swimming pools, are among the trappings of the successful manosphere influencer.
And I’ve been wondering if this is potentially a problem for makers of said cars. If we assume that cars say something about their owners (and it’s not controversial to believe that frequently they do), how should you as a brand feel if an unpleasant character features your product while pushing their nasty signature routine?
Do you grit your teeth through the fad? Do you shrug it off, because who cares who’s buying your cars as long as someone is? Or do you try to move away from it, like fashion label Burberry actively did from ‘chavs’ in the mid-2000s, because it knew that ultimately there would be other buyers turned off by association?
It can be off-putting, can’t it? I’m not suggesting in any way that most owners of Lamborghini Uruses or Revueltos are manosphere sympathisers. The Revuelto in particular is outstanding – one of the most exciting supercars on sale. But would I have one, having seen enough of them used to accessorise lifestyles I dislike, or being revved relentlessly in traffic, or used on antisocial driving tours? I think not.
And what if you own, say, a Ferrari 458 Speciale? It’s the greatest mid-engined sports car of modern times, so there are plenty of reasons for having one, but how much does people thinking that you’re thinking ‘envy me, bro’ play on your mind?
Some brands are more afflicted than others, in fairness. I’ve never been shown the finger in an Aston Martin.
I wonder if the continued rise of the restomod is, at least in part, a reflection on who’s buying luxury or exotic cars. Something like a Theon-modified Porsche 911 or an Alfaholics GTA tells those who are really in the know that you absolutely know your cars, and it tells those only casually aware that you have an inoffensive good taste in a classic.
Theroux apparently isn’t a car person. He told The Romesh Ranganathan Show last week that his kids occasionally ask why the family doesn’t own something flashier than his Seat Alhambra – a very sensible if unexciting car for a dad of three boys. But his relationship with it and his reluctance to have something nicer did imply that a more luxurious car would bring with it certain negative connotations.
Unpleasant people and those with unpleasant careers have always had nice cars, of course. It’s just that, today, inferring there’s a link between owning a flashy motor and owning an obnoxious personality feels rather more tenable than ever. Unfair? Sure. Avoidable? With the internet as it is, probably not.
