Andrew Tate’s ideal woman listens. She obeys. She is smart, but not nearly as smart as him or any other man. After all, Tate has been recorded saying (with no credible evidence or corroboration to back his claim) that it’s “been proven that the smartest people in the world are men.” When called out on the falsity of this claim, he retracted, stating that he “[doesn’t personally] believe women are as smart as men.”
Andrew Tate’s ideal woman is in her late teens — young enough for Tate to feel as though he can “make an imprint” on her. A more experienced woman closer to his age might question him, a phenomenon he finds nothing short of infuriating. Therefore, it’s also safe to assume that his ideal woman doesn’t challenge him. She trusts his misguided judgment because he’s a man, and he’s smarter.
Andrew Tate’s ideal woman is not a woman but a shell of a human being. She doesn’t have a mind or a soul. She is not worthy of personhood, or agency. She is not someone but something.
And now, Andrew Tate’s ideal “woman” has gradually become the woman for impressionable young boys. And, without proper intervention, these young boys will become men, with wives robbed of their humanity and free will.
It may seem rather dramatic to raise alarms about the possible effect that Andrew Tate has on current and future generations of young boys especially considering his recent widespread ban from social media. Repeatedly, studies proved that young boys and men who experience isolation and depression often believe these feelings to be emasculating. Instead of confiding in loved ones or mental health professionals, they turn to hypermasculine, often alt-right influencers hoping to find ways to emulate them. Andrew Tate’s content is no exception, despite the disappearance of many of his official social media accounts — there are repost accounts still immediately appearing after a quick search for “Andrew Tate” on TikTok and racking up millions of views.
While Tate is the most recent and obvious example of a misogynistic “sigma male,” it is likely that there will be more who attempt to take advantage of his absence to rise to fame. All appropriate parties must take action to prevent this. We must create open dialogues and foster a culture in which seeking counseling and therapy for mental health is not viewed as being in direct conflict with expressions of masculinity. As a society, we should continue to call out those who prey upon the malleable young minds and combat insidious forms of sexism and misogyny that continue to thrive on the Internet.