What do Patrick Bateman, John Wick, Thomas Shelby from Peaky Blinders, and Tyler Durden from Fight Club have in common? Besides the obvious (they’re all white, straight men) these characters are embodiments of the ‘sigma male’, a term you’ve probably seen online or maybe even heard uttered by some of the more ~problematic~ guys in your wider circle. But what exactly is a sigma male? And should we be worried?
For starters, a sigma male is a term that was popularised in the manosphere — AKA the toxic masculinity corner of the internet that made Andrew Tate famous — and is gaining traction on TikTok (there are a whopping five million videos under the #sigma hashtag).
The sigma male provides an alternative to the alpha male and beta male dichotomy, which stratifies men into dominants and subordinates. Sigmas are lone wolves who sit outside of social norms, gaining success through a steadfast dedication to the grind. Self-identifying as — or aspiring to be — a sigma male can be seductive to guys who don’t fit the alpha male mould, but it can be a dangerous path to loneliness and isolation.
To learn more about how we define sigma males, as well as some of the potential dangers of the archetype bleeding from URL to IRL, we tapped Lisa Sugiura, associate professor in cybercrime and gender at the University of Portsmouth, to answer our need-to-know questions.
What is a ‘sigma male’?
Given that sigma males are hypervisible on social media — TikTok videos with ‘X signs you’re a sigma male’ abound — you’ve probably heard the term before, but what exactly does it mean? Given the archetype’s association with solitude, you might not have met a sigma male in your day-to-day, so here’s what the expert had to say.
“A sigma male is someone who doesn’t conform to societal expectations or norms and operates largely outside of traditional hierarchies,” explains Sugiura. “They’re portrayed as loners or introverts who are comfortable with solitude, and they don’t need validation from others to feel secure or successful.”
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What is the ‘sigma grindset’?
Whether or not you’ve got much of a clue about sigmas, you may well have seen memes and videos about the ‘sigma grindset’ pop up across your social feeds. A combination of the words ‘grind’ (to hustle) and ‘mindset’ (you know that one), the word ‘grindset’ is used to describe sigmas’ determined, dogged work ethic.
“The term is used to describe a lifestyle, which is centred around relentless self-improvement, hard work, and independence,” Sugiura explains. “It’s an extreme associated with sigma males, who are often in isolation and avoid ‘distractions’ like social norms, expectations, relationships, or the opinions of others.”
The term engages with online hustle culture, wherein working long hours and prioritising success are glamourised, often at the cost of work/life balance. When we see it pop up in social media, Sugiura adds, it’s often in the form of ‘motivational’ phrases like ‘don’t talk to me until I’m rich’ or in semi-ironic memes that play to the hyperbolic nature of sigma male culture.
For Sugiura, the uses of sigma grindset content, and the phrase more generally, can vary. “You see people referring to the ‘sigma grindset’ as a tongue-in-cheek way of framing intense work habits, while there are others that are really trying to adopt that mindset in search of personal growth.”
Where did the ‘sigma male’ come from?
In 2010, the ‘sigma male’ term was coined by the far-right writer Theodore Robert Beale as a counterpoint to the alpha/beta male hierarchy. Later, from the 2010s, it gained wider recognition on sites like Reddit and 4Chan and was pushed into the mainstream via the Trojan horse of ironic memes that exaggerated supposed sigma male traits.
While the sigma male lifestyle was made famous by social media, its roots are elsewhere. Specifically, the phrase is inextricable from a wider framework of classifying and stratifying male personalities as alpha or beta, a concept which originates from observing animal behaviour.
“In the 1940s, the researcher Rudolf Shankle observed that in a wolf pack, there appeared to be a social hierarchy: one dominant alpha wolf that leads the pack and then other beta wolves who assume subordinate roles,” Sugiura explains. “Over time, these labels have been adapted and expanded to describe human social dynamics, particularly within the context of masculinity and relationships, and, more recently, in spaces like the so-called manosphere online.”
Should we be worried about it?
Men swearing off all relationships and social ties and worshipping Patrick Bateman? Well, you can see where things might start to go wrong…
While discourse around sigma males is predominantly limited to the digital sphere, it can be hard to ignore the ways in which online culture has impacted the IRL world in recent years. So, amidst the rise of anti-feminism, the unabated presence of misogyny, and the continued issue of incels who harbour bitter, anti-women sentiments, should we be concerned about the rise of the sigma male?
“Yes,” says Sugiura. “But, to preface my ‘yes’, I don’t mean that having goals or male self-improvement and aspirations are, in themselves, problematic. It’s the broader context that we need to be wary about.”
As she sees it, the sigma male focus on hyper-independence encourages isolation, something that can have a drastic impact on male mental health. When facing a crisis, after all, we can’t always grind our way out of it — sometimes we need friendly faces and support. “The scientific evidence shows that, as humans, social interaction is necessary,” continues Sugiura. “People die from loneliness.”
In addition to the ways that it exacerbates the male loneliness epidemic, sigma male culture can be a gateway drug into misogyny. When the values of independence, ambition, and self-reliance inherent to sigma male ideology are twisted and manipulated by manosphere groups, the result can be a dangerous superiority complex. “Sigma male culture may come with an underlying resentment towards those who are seen as less enlightened, like beta males or, more often than not, women,” Sugiura explains. “This can fuel negative attitudes about women’s roles or behaviour in dating and relationships.”
She also explains that some interpretations of the sigma male have indirect links to other staples of manosphere culture: incels and Men Going Their Own Way (or MGTOW, for short).
It’s likely you’ve already heard of incels – AKA involuntary celibates – men who are hostile towards women and conventionally attractive men, due to their lack of relationship success. For this group, the sigma male mentality can be a healing balm. “Incels may adopt a warped version of the sigma male concept to rationalise their lack of success with women, rejecting societal norms and using their perceived isolation as an excuse for their inability to form healthy relationships,” adds Sugiura.
MGTOW, on the other hand, is essentially a male separatist movement which, more often than not, can veer into extremist misogyny. Its devotees tend to be men who believe that rejecting relationships with women is the key to self-empowerment. “[Men who self-identify as] sigma males might be drawn to the MGTOW philosophy as a way to escape the beta male lifestyle while cutting ties with women entirely,” Sugiura explains.
“Some individuals adopt a toxic version of both the sigma male and MGTOW philosophies, creating a dangerous feedback loop where disillusionment with relationships and society fuels even more isolation and resentment towards women as well.”
It’s worth keeping in mind that the above is a worst-case scenario. What’s crucial, though, is that we get men talking and relating to a diverse range of people — and genders — in our communities. After all, extremism thrives in an echo chamber.
Megan Wallace (they/them) is Cosmopolitan UK’s Former Sex and Relationships Editor covering sexual pleasure, sex toys, LGBTQIA+ identity, dating and romance. They have covered sexuality and relationships for over five years and are the founder of the PULP zine, which publishes essays on culture and sex. In their spare time, they can be found exploring the London kink scene and planning dates on Feeld.
