The Phenomenon of Involuntary Celibates (Incels) in Internet Meme Culture - A Reflection of Masculine Domination

Aug 26, 2026

The study examines involuntary celibates (Incels) as a group identity expressed through internet meme culture. Using Visual methodologies by Rose Gillian and masculine domination by Pierre Bourdieu, the research also applies the Red Pill psychology framework by Peter Wright and Paul Elam and considers related Red Pill ideologies circulated in Red Pill communities. Data are drawn from multiple meme platforms and Incels-related memes. Findings link masculine domination to Red Pill hierarchical masculinity and show how meme-based celibacy narratives reinforce heteronormative standards and social rejection.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Incels, the manosphere, and the Men’s Right Movement

Red Pill ideology and three-tier hierarchy

Hegemonic masculinity and women’s sexual selection

Copyright © 2022 by Cherkas Global University Published in the USA International Journal of Media and Information Literacy Issued since 2005 E-ISSN 2500-106X 2022. 7(1): 4-17 DOI: 10.13187/ijmil.2022.1 .4 [https://ijmil.cherkasgu.press](https://ijmil.cherkasgu.press) The Phenomenon of Involuntary Celibates (Incels) in Internet Meme Culture: A Reflection of Masculine Domination Mahirza Putra Aulia a, Ida Rosida a , * a Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, Indonesia Abstract This study explores the phenomenon of groups of men known as Involuntary Celibates (Incels) in an internet meme culture. This research used Visual methodologies by Rose Gillian, and Masculine domination by Pierre Bourdieu. In addition, this research used the additional The Red Pill psychology theoretical framework by Peter Wright and Paul Elam followed by several Red Pill ideologies which spread across The Red Pill communities. All the data are collected from several internet memes platforms and the following memes are downloaded that represent Incels-related subjects. The results show that the correlation between Masculine domination and The Red Pill hierarchical masculinity had formed the heteronormative masculinity in which men are considered attractively masculine if they fulfilled the heteronormative scale of desired men, such as physical appearances (height, facial features, and muscularity), psychological traits, and socioeconomic behaviour. Furthermore, Incels’ celibacy reflected in a meme culture is rooted in their unattractiveness, thus perfectly manifesting the emphasizing of heteronormative masculinity as a standard of real desired men as Incels are rejected both by society and women based on their unfulfillment of heteronormative masculinity which displays in Incels-related memes. Keywords: Incels, Internet meme culture, masculine domination, Red Pill, heteronormative masculinity, media. 1. Introduction In the recent development of meme culture, the spreading of Incels’ ideological movement has become the signifying phenomenon of the idea of masculinity among men. Incels refers to a large group of socially organized men as an explanation behind their celibacy, including their ugly characteristics and inadequate social characters; the feminist plan that has created in order women reject unattractive men; and society, which has efficiently prevented them to gain their access of sexual activity (Segalewicz, 2020) . In addition, The Incels community retreat themselves to the internet sphere to express their political idea and emotions towards each other. In recent years, internet space has become a medium to express people’s political views, thus creating a collective political expression space. In social media, a collection of political statements is a recognizable fusion of mutual interaction (with other people) and broadly shared to a large amount of (unknown) audience (Literat, Kligler-Vilenchik, 2021) . In this case, the Incels community take refuge in a male-based internet sphere to express themselves, and thus, became one of the subculture, which is called the manosphere. Segalewicz explained that manosphere where Incels, is an identity asserted in a “manosphere” or the digital sphere of the antifeminists and men’s rights advocates (Segalewicz, 2020) . * Corresponding author E-mail addresses: [idarosida@uinjkt.ac.id](idarosida@uinjkt.ac.id) (I. Rosida) Furthermore, the Incels community became the internet sub-culture of Men’s Right Movement (MRM) due to the ideological intersectionality and similar internet platform (Manosphere) . In addition, memes, as the most frequent inter-communicational means to each individual in the manosphere, became the most prominent language to express their feelings of celibacy. MRMs, memes, and other cultural substances function as a collective expression of anger, rather than nuanced political debate (Ging, 2019; Lindsay 2020) . In the scope of Incels’ ideologi

FAQs

What does the research investigate about Incels in online spaces?

It investigates how groups of men identified as Involuntary Celibates (Incels) construct and express masculinity through internet meme culture.

Which theoretical frameworks guide the analysis?

The study combines Rose Gillian’s visual methodologies and Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of masculine domination, along with Peter Wright and Paul Elam’s Red Pill psychology framework and Red Pill ideologies.

How do the findings explain the link between masculine domination and meme-based Incels narratives?

The results show that masculine domination correlates with Red Pill hierarchical masculinity, producing heteronormative masculinity standards. Incels’ celibacy in meme culture is framed as rooted in perceived unattractiveness and unfulfillment of those standards.

Aug 26, 2026

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