"12 Toxic Manosphere Terms Every Parent Should Know – And Why 'Taking the Red Pill' Could Be Trouble for Your Child"

IT’S’ the phenomenon that’s taken over the internet, and one that Louis Theroux has delved into with his new Netflix documentary, Inside the Manosphere.

The critically acclaimed documentarian’s show was released on March 11 and sees follow the likes of (real name Harrison Sullivan), , Sneako (Nicolas Kenn De Balinthazy), as well as podcasters Myron Gaines and .

Louis’ first feature-length documentary with Netflix dropped earlier this MarchCredit: Courtesy of Netflix. Justin Waller in Louis Theroux: Inside the ManosphereCredit: Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2026 Harrison Sullivan (left), known online as HSTikkyTokky, is a British influencer who makes fitness, crypto and dating content. He is one of the subject in the new documentaryCredit: Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2026

Though their content is tagged as promoting fitness, dating or moneymaking, it often veers into , antisemitism and hatred towards the LGBTQIA+ community.

Dan Guinness, managing director of Beyond Equality, previously told Metro : “These communities present themselves as spaces of support but often deepen feelings of self-hatred and resentment towards women… Online algorithms can pull vulnerable young people further into extreme content, reinforcing harmful beliefs.’’

Unfortunately, this is an easy rabbit hole to fall into, and the experts warns the dangers are “significant’’, as “many young men caught in these spaces experience declining mental health , and some become desensitised to violent or dehumanising ideas about women.’’

While parents may assume this is an issue that could never impact their own child, worryingly, the manosphere and its advocates have a wide reach.

The fact is, prevention is essential, so maintaining open communication and modelling healthy relationships is vital.

However, if you start to notice your child or teenager using these 12 toxic terms it may show they’re absorbing the movement’s controversial talking points – and that it’s time for a more important conversation.

Glossary of manosphere words and phrases

Matrix: The manosphere bases large parts of its ideology from themes and terminology used in sci-fi franchise, The Matrix, arguing that society is structured to suppress men and maintain existing power structures – also known as “the system”.

Several of the men Louis meets on Inside the Manosphere perform a “matrix’’ hand gesture by interlocking their fingers with their index fingers and thumbs extended to create a triangle shape.

Red pill: A person is said to have “taken the red pill’’ or be “redpilled’’ if they accept the manosphere’s ideology that argues men are the oppressed gender in society, but feminism and political correctness obscure this reality.

Blue pill: A person is said to have “taken the blue pill’’ or be “bluepilled’’ if they disagree with the above ideology.

Black pill: To be “blackpilled’’ or “take the black pill’’ is an even more extreme version of the red pill, where the man believes there’s nothing they can do to improve their situation, so their only options are to accept their fate or try to force societal change through violent means.

Simp: Can be used as a noun of verb to describe sycophancy or being (in the manosphere’s eyes) overly deferential to women or affectionate in pursuit of a sexual relationship.

Soy boy: A derogatory label for men seen as weak, effeminate or or lacking traditional characteristics they deem masculine.

Alpha male: A man who is dominant, assertive, and occupies a high social or professional status.

Beta male: A man who is not sufficiently masculine, physically or psychologically, and therefore has lower social standing.

Chad: The archetype of an alpha male – a muscular, sexually successful man and the opposite of “incel’’ or “beta male’’, often depicted in memes and used in racist contexts.

-maxxing: This suffix can be added to a variety of words to describe extreme optimisation of a specific aspect of one’s life, appearance, or health in an effort to increase your “value’’.

For instance, looksmaxxing, the process of making oneself as physically attractive as possible to gain sexual attention, is one of the most popular uses. However, there’s also jestermaxxing (using extreme humour), moneymaxxing and healthmaxxing.

Mewing: A clenching exercise used by looksmaxxers intended to build a more defined jawline (although the results are medically unproven).

Briffault’s Law: A conspiracy theory claiming women use men for their personal gain and are selfish, deceptive beings.