Alphas, Bros, and Christian Nationalism: The ABCs of Toxic Masculinity

Written by: Jacqueline Salazar Romo

April 4, 2025

“To say that straight men are heterosexual is only to say that they engage in sex (fucking exclusively with the other sex, i.e., women). All or almost all of that which pertains to love, most straight men reserve exclusively for other men. The people whom they admire, respect, adore, revere, honor, whom they imitate, idolize, and form profound attachments to, whom they are willing to teach and from whom they are willing to learn, and whose respect, admiration, recognition, honor, reverence and love they desire… those are, overwhelmingly, other men. In their relations with women, what passes for respect is kindness, generosity or paternalism; what passes for honor is removal to the pedestal. From women they want devotion, service and sex.


Heterosexual male culture is homoerotic; it is man-loving.” 


—Marilyn Frye, The Politics of Reality

The recent Netflix four-episode mini-series Adolescence, which follows the fallout of a young girl’s murder committed by a thirteen-year-old boy, has garnered incredible amounts of praise and attention since its debut. Filmed in continuous, one-shot segments and jumping around various perspectives (not only focusing on the affected students, but also on the adults that are involved in this case), the narrative told by Adolescence is especially harrowing because of how visceral and familiar and real it all feels. While this show has been understandably polarizing, it has helped open up conversations about toxic masculinity, and how its acceptance and normalization can create devastating consequences not only for the boys falling victim to this mentality, but for girls and families who are forced to deal with these behaviors. But these toxic masculinity troubles are not confined to fictional teenage boys in your Netflix Top Picks For You section. In fact, they’re strikingly present in our day-to-day lives, and many men are being indoctrinated into upholding and adhering to these dangerous ideologies. 

The Alpha Male Epidemic

It’s no surprise that the complicated world of the manospherean androcentric worldview that derives joy from deeming women inferiorsurged as direct opposition to feminist and women-centered movements, and it’s only grown more popular as of late. With the ability to divulge your beliefs to thousands of people online, many web users from all walks of life have turned to voicing their thoughts into microphones and posing as expert speakers on the Internet, hence the rise of “alpha male” podcasts (never mind the fact that the lupine social dynamics from which these terms are derived have been long-since debunked, as no such hierarchical structure is actually proven to exist within wolf packs). Inviting men to join them in their quest for peak manhood are characters like the infamous Tate brothers (Andrew Tate, for instance, is in the spotlight yet again for mocking a woman who has alleged he sexually assaulted her), the Fresh and Fit podcast members, and others who all exhibit hypermasculinity and spew misogynistic rhetoric to their impressionable followers. Among their favorite conversation topics are self-imposed standards of masculinity and convoluted jargon meant to separate “high-status” men from incels (involuntary celibates, a term used for men who feel robbed of sexual favors from women) and undesirables, and it’s fascinating to see them portray themselves as top-tier men when they provide little tangible life advice and actual steps for success, opting to spend most of their time complaining about their gripes with women instead.  

While these hatred-addled podcasts are easy for feminists and equal rights advocates to dismiss as juvenile conversations, I’d argue there’s a predatory nature to this aspect of the manosphere that draws male viewers to this misogynistic side of the Internet—the content produced by these accounts and podcasts directly targets areas of insecurity for boys and young men who may be making innocent searches for workout videos, lifestyle advice, or general self-improvement topics. Superficial trends like “looksmaxxing” (doing jawline exercises, checking canthal tilts, and pointing out other insecurities for boys to worry about) are just as bad as unrealistic beauty standards for women, and the only difference is that they’re disguised as ways to attract female attention—what’s worse, boys looking for positive male role models may encounter these “alpha males” and not only consider their flawed worldview to be true, but be lured into following their advice and adopting the hateful ideology they spread.

The Evolution of “Bros”

We’ve previously had conversations about womanhood and what that means to those of us who don’t identify as male (hell, one of the political right’s favorite questions to ask as an ideological gotcha is “What is a Woman?”), but rarely is the question “What is a Man?” asked (if asked at all) with the same vitriolic, giddy satisfaction that is derived from conservatives seeking to create a strict definition of womanhood. But in the same way it’s unfair to define a woman solely by one aspect of their person or identity, the constructs of masculinity and manhood (and what they may mean to those who identify with it) have evolved throughout the decades. Regardless, just as “girl-” has become a prefix for different types of female archetypes, “Bro,” from “brother,” is a popular term across various niches—surf bros, tech bros, podcast bros, and the like. Over time, however, this charming, even affectionate neologism has mutated into something much different, especially when attached as a suffix or left to stand in for a particular cultural subset of men. Ann Friedman writes about this change of meaning for bros for The Cut: “‘Bro’ once meant something specific: a self-absorbed young white guy in board shorts with a taste for cheap beer. But it’s become a shorthand for the sort of privileged ignorance that thrives in groups dominated by wealthy, white, straight men.” In this way, Friedman writes, “‘Bro’ is convenient because describing a professional or social dynamic as ‘overly white, straight, and male’ seems both too politically charged and too general; instead, ‘bro’ conjures a particular type of dude who operates socially by excluding those who are different. And, crucially, a bro in isolation is barely a bro at all — he needs his peers to reinforce his beliefs and laugh at his jokes.” Thus, the seeking of validation by men from other men, while not inherently a negative thing, can quickly become exclusionary of non-male voices and perspectives, leading to the justification and enforcement of sexist and androcentric beliefs.

Another “bro”-adjacent tool of sexism and misogyny comes in the form of the Bro Code, which is a friendship etiquette created to inform and guide men’s actions and social conventions. While many of the unspoken rules of the Bro Code are positive and innocent, there are some aspects to this set of rules that not only enable but perpetuate sexist and even violent actions toward women. It’s good for men to have male friendships they feel listened to and secure in, but there can often be a lack of accountability and a dismissal of diverse voices that only perpetuates misogyny and rape culture—the disturbing uncovering of a men’s group chat with seventy thousand contributors that shared rape fantasies and tips, as well as Michele Pelicot’s harrowing sexual abuse case and the distasteful “Your Body, My Choice” chants after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, are a few of many unfortunate examples that come to mind. This normalization of sexual assault and anti-feminist sentiments is not only understandably harmful to the personal fulfillment and development of men, but is especially detrimental to sexual assault victims, women, marginalized people, and those who are most affected by this harmful rhetoric that does little to call out toxic masculinity. By enabling these frightening conversations about sexual entitlement and not standing up against them, men are only enforcing these abusive behaviors and contributing to the rising hate and violence enacted against women and gender minorities.     

In Christian Nationalism We Trust

Christo-fascism, the marriage between heralding Christianity as the law and the upholding of authoritarian/fascist figures, is well-explained in this passage from PhilArchive’s repertoire titled A Social History of Christofascism: “Initially a movement focused on empowering the poor, Christianity has now been symbolically co-opted by ruling class after ruling class throughout history… The ultimate goal of Christofascism is to incorporate the religious into the political.” Surprising as it may be, merging Christian content with patriarchal undertones is a relatively common feature within the manosphere—and once you notice it, you can’t unsee it. Even more upsetting is the more prominent call for the reach of religion into government and how this connection violates the separation of church and state that was so crucial to America’s founding ideals. Paired with the religious fervor often displayed by right-wing men, this strong sense of nationalism can turn into a sense of entitlement to patriarchal power and control over birthing bodies, much like the one we’ve seen come directly from the current President himself. We saw a “reformed” Trump’s presidential candidacy play out this past election cycle, with his political platform and proposals largely catering to the conservative Christian voter. Recently, this has included Trump imparting executive orders that seek to “eradicate anti-Christian bias.” While it isn’t directly spelled out, the implications that “anti-Christian” is meant to stand for marginalized communities (BIPOC and LGBTQ+ individuals, faithfuls who practice non-Christian religions) and virtually any opponents to Christo-fascism are transcendentally clear. 

We also can see the effects of Trump’s blatant misogyny in full display, given his countless aggressive actions against women and his influence in encouraging violence from resurfacing hate groups (including religiously motivated ones) who feel emboldened by his rise to office. In her book The Seven Deadly Sins of White Christian Nationalism: A Call to Action, Reverend Carter Heyward says in response to the events of the January 6th insurrection, “Witnessing neo-Nazis, Proud Boys, and other hate groups lie, destroy property, and torture others in the name of Jesus, many of us knew deep in our bones that this moment was not an anomaly in U.S. history. We realized that its violence has roots deep in our national story. We also knew that the groups attacking the Capitol, like hate groups before them, were relying on most Americans and most Christians to provide them with legitimacy either by trivializing or shunning any connection with and responsibility for the insurrection.” And Rev. Heyward isn’t the only one who feels that the incidents that transpired on January 6 set a frightening precedent, as Ryan Duncan writes for Sojourners about his hopelessness and disappointment in fellow faithfuls who decided to vote for Trump. While supporting Christian nationalism (and the slippery slide into Christo-fascism) isn’t exclusive to any gender or type of person, men may often view themselves as the all-important key to the nuclear family thanks to religious doctrine that believes man to be the superior gender—and may consequently seek to enforce this notion by suppressing other religions and perspectives.


Given the rise of anti-feminist ideologies in recent years, now is the time to have conversations with men about their complicity in perpetuating toxic masculinity, no matter how difficult these may be—and especially if you’re a man or someone who identifies with manhood.

(Digital illustration by author)

Written by: Jacqueline Salazar Romo

About The Author: Jacqueline (she/they) is an editorial intern who loves writing, whether creatively or within a non-fiction context, especially to explore current issues and personal interests.

Adolescence (Netflix), Alpha Males, Androcentrism, Anti-Feminism, Bro Code, Christo-fascism, Fascism, Hypermasculinity, Manosphere, Masculinity, Misogyny, Patriarchy, Podcast, Sexism, Trump Administration

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