Exploring the manosphere’s discourse on prostitution

Unraveling masculine self-perceptions

Bibliographic Data

ID22230775
AuthorsCarina Schulz (Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, corresponding author), Niklas Herrberg (0000-0002-0526-019X, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf)
Year2026
Volume13
Issue1
Publication date2026-05-20
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueHumanities and Social Sciences Communications (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2662-9992 • E-ISSN: 2662-9992
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1057/s41599-026-07648-4
OpenAlexW7161764986
LanguageEN
References cited35

The so-called manosphere has emerged as a heterogeneous, loosely connected network for articulations of contemporary masculinities and for the digital dissemination of misogynistic worldviews. While core subgroups such as incels, pick-up artists, and men’s rights activists have been extensively studied, adjacent actors remain underexplored. This includes men who participate in online review forums for prostitution, which function as male-only communication spaces centred on the evaluation of women’s bodies, behaviours, and sexual performances, and where female voices are systematically excluded. Whether these forums should be understood as part of the manosphere is an open question. This article addresses this gap by comparing the content of two online forums: incels.is , which is explicitly ideologically linked to the manosphere, and USA Sex Guide , a review forum for prostitution clients that has not previously been analysed in this context. Based on grounded theory methodology and qualitative content analysis, the study reconstructs discursive constructions of masculinity in the context of prostitution. The findings show that posts in both forums reproduce notions of male (aggrieved) entitlement and devalue female autonomy, albeit in distinct ways. Users of the USA Sex Guide articulate masculinity through claims to sexual and emotional services, while users of incels.is evaluate prostitution ambivalently as a degrading act, a last resort, or a legitimate option that nonetheless fails to generate masculine recognition. In both forums, access to sex is negotiated as a self-evident male right and enforced through evaluative and often punitive discursive strategies. The analysis challenges pathologising readings of these forums as marginal phenomena and instead situates them within broader cultural narratives of masculinity. It argues for an expanded understanding of the manosphere and highlights the relevance of adjacent online spaces for research on gendered entitlement and digital misogyny

Discursive psychology · Grounded theory · Ideology · Masculinity · Punitive damages · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Sex work and related issues · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology

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