What is an Incel? Understanding Toxic Masculinity and the Internet Sub Culture

What is an Incel? Most of us have seen the “Pepe” frog meme, or the “Chad” meme. When it comes to extremist groups online, it feels more foreign. But that doesn’t mean its influence hasn’t spread into the lives of our young people.

An Incel is short hand for ‘involuntary celibate’. It is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “a member of an online community of young men who consider themselves unable to attract women sexually, typically associated with views that are hostile towards women and men who are sexually active.”

Not all Incels are involved in the alt-right movement, but there is crossover.

How did the Incel movement become popular?

Since 2010 the toxic ideology of these Incel groups has grown in popularity online. Initially, it seemed like a niche internet movement – a group of radicalized young men who were angry at the world and felt angry at women.

But with the rise of social media platforms and YouTubers like Andrew Tate who proclaim dominance over women, the ideology has seeped its way into the minds of young people world wide.

Today, young people are introduced to this vitriol through social media, through their community, and on YouTube. And without understanding or guidance, they can become lost in it – therefore contributing to domestic violence, rape, sexual abuse, trafficking and a lack of self esteem and identity in males. It has also been attributed to acts of radicalised violence against women.

The Netflix series Adolescence has put a spotlight on toxic masculinity, and how young men and boys are being influenced by this vitriol. So what better time to learn about this phenomenon of Incel ideology, and how we can combat it?

Empathy is the key

According to Writer and Cartoonist Lily O’Farrell, it starts with empathy. In 2021, after doing a deep dive into the Incel community, she shared a collection of cartoons detailing her findings on her Instagram @VulgaDrawings.

O’Farrell discovered her feminist cartoons were being shared on Incel sub reddits (a chat board on the website Reddit) and spent 18 months learning about the people, terminology and images that shape these young people.

Her takeaway was that, “Approaching with empathy means you can understand the root cause, and eradicate it from there.”

Take a look at her findings and artwork below. It is illuminating, and will empower you to identify signs of this extremism in the people around you. By catching this early on, you can educate young people in your life about the realities of extremism and the importance of seeing worth in every human being, irrespective of gender, age or appearance.