“Inside the Manosphere” is a frustratingly–enticing documentary directed by Louis Theroux about the culture surrounding men that make and interact with manosphere content online. “The manosphere” refers to a space on the internet that “teaches” young men how to become financially successful, become fit, how to date and treat women and what the roles of a man are. 

In this documentary, it shows the many controversial beliefs “Manosphere” creators and consumers have about women. Creators such as —- believe women are made to cook, clean and make babies, whereas men are the money and rule makers. A surprising part of their viewpoint is that they believe in “one way monogamy.” This is a belief that a woman should only be with them but that same man can be with many women. 

Theroux does not just explore the content and the viewers but also the lives of those who make the content. He explores popular creators Harrison Sullivan, Justin Waller, Amrou Fudl (popularly known as Myron Gaines). Theroux spends days with these creators, as they go through their daily lives at work, the gym and their homes. He tries his best to get to know these men’s viewpoints, but is visibly uncomfortable most of the time he’s with them, as he frequently stops himself in the middle of sentences because he’s afraid what he has to say might upset them. As he spends more time with Sullivan, Waller, and Fudl he works to understand them and have empathy for them rather than judging them. He does this by getting to know their backgrounds and attitudes toward the world. Through this, he is able to find out that all of the creators he spoke with didn’t have stable home lives as children. They all grew up without solid father figures and some grew up with unstable maternal figures. This exploration of their unstable childhoods helps explain why these creators feel the need to “teach” young men. 

These young men are exactly the people whom this document is most important for. It is infuriating and sad, but incredibly important to protect these boys who most often interact with this kind of content by educating them on why these creators think the way they do and the negative implications it can have on themselves and the people around them.