Known as the “king of misogyny,” popular social media influencer Andrew Tate has taken the internet by storm. Despite multiple accusations of sexual misconduct and physical abuse, Tate has managed to retain his spot as the “Top G” among young boys especially, some of whom see him as a figurative god.
His harsh, misogynistic rhetoric has become an increasingly worsening epidemic, the effects of which have been felt by mothers, sisters, and female teachers. After his recent arrest in Romania for alleged sex trafficking, Andrew Tate’s reign may soon be coming to an end
Andrew Tate, a self-described misogynist, is a 36-year-old former kickboxer and social media personality who started his career on reality television. He rose to popularity online for his brutally “honest” and dangerous views on women — from arguing that all women are bad drivers to blaming victims for being raped.
In an interview with Vice, Tate said, “The point I’m trying to make is the best way to prevent yourself from being raped is to have a degree of personal responsibility and not put yourself in positions to be raped.”
He reportedly relocated to Romania in the wake of the #MeToo Movement to avoid stringent sexual assault laws.
Tate has successfully drawn in viewers by conflating his lavish lifestyle with masculinity and sexism. A firm believer in stereotypical gender roles, Tate influences his audiences to believe that in behaving like a “Top G” — or by engaging in physical fights, threatening romantic partners with swords, or ignoring feelings and emotions — one can become financially successful and live an equally elaborate lifestyle.
What Tate’s viewers do not seem to grasp — or what they refuse to admit — is that they are being manipulated into an elaborate pyramid scheme. Tate is the founder of “Hustler’s University” (HU), an online “school” which is said to provide the tools that one needs to “become rich” for just $50 a month. Members most often earn their revenue through affiliate links; when a new member subscribes to HU through another member’s link, that member gets 48% of the new member’s subscription fee. Despite this, Tate ardently denies that he is running a pyramid scheme, and he denies that HU is in any way a scam.
Hustler’s University and the entirety of Andrew Tate’s brand has managed to survive despite evidence and allegations of sexual assault and physical abuse. Not only did a video leak of Tate abusing his ex-girlfriend, but recently voice messages from a 2013 WhatsApp conversation leaked in which Tate tells an ex-partner, “I love raping you… Am I a bad person? Because the more you didn’t like it, the more I enjoyed it. I f-cking enjoyed how much you hated it.” Shortly after this, he described himself as “one of the most dangerous men on this planet.” A police investigation in 2015 resulted in dropped charges four years later due to “an ounce of doubt in the case.”
Andrew Tate was arrested for rape and human trafficking December 29, 2022. Even after his arrest, Tate’s legion of followers, students, and supporters firmly believe, despite the leaked voice recordings, videos, and text messages, that he is innocent, and that authorities are seeking to take him down for speaking the “truth”.
His followers are still editing clips of his broadcasts in order to spread his message, even though there are reports that his rhetoric and the vastness of his social media presence has already contributed to a rise in misogyny among young boys.
Andrew Tate’s dangerous influence on young boys has been felt by mothers, sisters, girlfriends, classmates, and educators. A 14-year-old female student who spoke to Vice last year said, “The boys at my school my age think that it’s OK to say horrible things like women are men’s property and they get to do what they want with them. Makes me really disappointed in my generation.”
According to The Guardian, some schools have already implemented training programs for educators to discuss Andrew Tate’s rhetoric with students. In Kentucky, a human-trafficking survivor and educator who spoke with Business Insider heard a young male student say, “’We’re the men, so you’re gonna cook and you’re gonna clean… it’s the same mindset my grandpa had — that women take care of us, but we’re gonna control you.’”
Even one young boy being affected by Andrew Tate’s violent rhetoric is too many. He appeals to often young, vulnerable, and socially withdrawn or neurodivergent boys, or to those who are without a positive male role model and who thus look to Tate for guidance.
This epidemic of misogyny is widespread among social media, especially as Tate leads his followers to believe they too can enjoy a lavish lifestyle so long as they continue sharing affiliate links for money, which in turn exposes more youth to this language; this is how the disease spreads, but it exists in real life as much as it exists online.
As of early February 2023, Tate remains in Romanian custody while authorities continue their investigation. While several of Tate’s supporters remain firm, his arrest and the recent exposure of his past behavior is a long-awaited step toward ending his reign as the internet’s “Top G.
