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In this commentary, features director Brittney McNamara examines the vocal misogyny that spread online after Trump’s reelection.

Donald Trump, a convicted sex offender, was elected to his second term, and before the election was even called, misogynists began boldly proclaiming their hatred of women online.

White supremacist Nicholas Fuentes wrote: “Your body, my choice. Forever” on X on November 5, a misogynistic rallying cry that has spread like wildfire among young men online. He floated the idea in a video, saying, “Hey bitch, we control your bodies.” Guess what? Boys win again, men win again, and yes, we control your bodies,” as part of a sardonic anti-women rant. One user from And Andrew Tate, a Manosphere influencer and self-proclaimed misogynist, was predictably on full blast on X following Trump’s election.

“I saw a woman crossing the street today, but I just held back. Right of way? You no longer have any rights,” he wrote in a post. “The men are in charge again,” he said in another. And in a repost from a woman who said she was “requesting a president who isn’t a rapist,” Tate wrote, “REQUEST DENIED.” These are just a few of Tate’s misogynistic, racist, homophobic and just plain hateful posts.

And these are just a few of the blatantly misogynistic posts that have flooded the internet since Trump’s election. In addition to outright misogyny, WIRED reported on the many violent and bigoted posts celebrating Trump’s victory, pointing to posts calling for “rape squads” that spoke of “rounding up all gays into camps.” reveled in “white power” and threatened Trump’s opposition.

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It’s no surprise that people hate women. This is evident at every level of our society, from the prevalence of sexual violence to the wage gap, the denial of women’s pain, the lack of women in leadership positions, to the fact that we have never had a woman in the Oval Office. Misogyny is particularly pervasive: Black women experience higher rates of violence, earn less money on average than their white counterparts, hold fewer positions of power, face higher maternal mortality rates, and more. And that these Trump supporters have a particular antipathy toward women is no surprise, given the widespread misogyny both within Trump’s own campaign and among his supporters during the campaign.

While it’s not surprising, it’s shocking to see this kind of violent misogyny proudly displayed and to see misogynists feel emboldened to comment on random TikToks and say, “Your body is my choice.” As in 2016, there is something very special about watching those who once hid their bigoted views creeping out of the seemingly shadowy corners of the internet, seemingly supported by a commander in chief who has been accused by about two dozen women of sexual assault. what lies ahead for us in the next four years. It is also a reminder of the growing coalition of men who, while never losing power, have felt disenfranchised and have sought refuge in the increasingly popular manosphere, where the plight of men (real or imagined) takes center stage stands.

That’s the thing about these once-shady corners – they’re not so remote anymore. Tate, who has been accused of rape and human trafficking in Romania (he denies these allegations), has 10.2 million followers on is one of the most listened to. Other characters such as Theo Von, Adin Ross and Sneako are growing in popularity. And it’s not just men. Women like Hannah Pearl Davis are also vocal in perpetuating the patriarchy, something white women often engage in as they prioritize their whiteness over their gender. We also see this in the rise of traditional wife influencers who promise women freedom through patriarchy and encourage women to submit to a husband running the household and retreat from careers and personal gain. But what appeal do all these influencers have? That they blame women for men’s problems.

“(The manosphere) juxtaposes the growing challenges facing men with the increasing social, economic, and political success of women,” wrote Ben Rich and Eva Bujalka The conversation in 2023. “This zero-sum claim assumes that the empowerment of women necessarily equates to the disempowerment of men, and is supported by simplistic and pseudoscientific theories of biology and socioeconomics.”

With Trump’s victory, Manosphere influencers and their followers are apparently trying to make it clear to women that their flop era is over. They are “in charge again” and are ready to take what they believe is their rightful place – to follow a man who, like them, disrespects women’s freedom of choice and publicly humiliates them. It may be true that the manosphere is growing, and it may be true that Trump will be president. But their flop era is far from over because the women don’t want to allow it.

Women always defend themselves against misogyny. Although they seem popular in these online spaces, policies that are bad for women are actually extremely unpopular when put to the test, as we saw in the overwhelming victory for abortion rights in Tuesday’s election have. And when women have lost their rights, they have come together to pool resources, offer help, organize and find loopholes that allow us our autonomy. Women voted for their rights in this election, and they will not stop fighting for those rights. And if you have a male partner who has been drawn into the manosphere and holds misogynistic views against you, you can and should dump him. There are many organizations dedicated to empowering women by providing resources and guidance to combat misogyny – in moments like these, these organizations only become stronger.

After Trump’s victory, feminist author Rebecca Solnit wrote her reaction on Twitter, and her words apply here.

“They want you to feel powerless and surrender and let them trample on everything and you won’t let that happen,” she wrote. “They don’t give up, and neither do I. The fact that we can’t save everything doesn’t mean we can’t save anything, and whatever we can save is worth saving.”

Originally appeared on Teen Vogue