"Facing My Own Misogyny": A Content Analysis of Personal Essays on the Subreddit R/ExRedPill

Authors

AJ Siegel, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Abstract

Digital misogyny, perhaps better known as the Red Pill or the manosphere, has been growing in popularity and, in doing so, spreading anti-woman and toxic masculinity. This community has existed for years, but as figures like Andrew Tate bring it into public consciousness, there is a severe lack of investigation into the possibility of rehabilitating from this ideology. This study aims to address this gap by investigating the subreddit r/ExRedPill, which is a support group for people trying to unlearn this form of misogyny. It explores a particular genre on the subreddit—personal essays—in which community members detail their experiences in relation to the Red Pill and how their involvement with this ideology has affected their self-esteem, relationships, and overall well-being. I conducted an open coding scheme of 13 sample texts in order to garner what these authors are sharing with the rest of the community. Five common practices were identified: Introspection, Discussing the Red Pill, Commentary on Women, Narrative Information, and Positivity. Each of these also included several individual codes. After analyzing these essays, it is clear that r/ExRedPill is an online support group that appears to be helping its members rehabilitate from their misogynistic ideology. These personal narratives provide a means for community members to reflect on their experiences and share them with the rest of the community, facilitating individual and community-level learning. While r/ExRedPill is just one community, and these personal essays are just one type of post, they already appear to be helping people move on from this ideology. As we become increasingly aware of the harm the Red Pill and online misogyny pose, it will only become more important to identify and understand potential avenues for recovery from it.

Recommended Citation

Siegel, AJ (2024) ""Facing My Own Misogyny": A Content Analysis of Personal Essays on the Subreddit R/ExRedPill," RhetTech: Vol. 6, Article 2.
Available at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/rhettech/vol6/iss1/2