How the Manosphere’s Toxic Language Is Creeping Into Workplaces

The term ‘looksmaxxing’ may sound unfamiliar, but it’s increasingly popping up in professional spaces like LinkedIn. Originating on incel message boards in the 2010s, the practice refers to extreme measures—such as jaw surgery—taken to ‘optimize’ one’s appearance, framed as a form of hyper-masculine productivity.

This lexicon is part of the ‘manosphere’, an online ecosystem promoting outdated masculinity ideals, misogyny, and anti-feminist rhetoric. The movement gained mainstream attention after influencer Clavicular, dubbed its ‘patron saint,’ appeared at New York Fashion Week last month, with features in The New York Times and GQ.

Netflix’s recent documentary on the subject further amplified its reach, followed by coverage in outlets like NBC News and The Wall Street Journal. Now, its language is infiltrating workplaces.

Manosphere Terms Surface in Professional Settings

An HR executive, who requested anonymity to speak freely, shared:

“I’ve definitely noticed some manosphere-coded language in some of my employees. It raises some red flags, but I’ve never had any issues with any of these guys yet.”

The executive cited terms like ‘alphas,’ ‘betas,’ ‘chads,’ and ‘stacys’—labels tied to hierarchical and often demeaning views of gender and relationships.

The Manosphere’s Slow Expansion Into Mainstream Culture

Whitney Phillips, an associate professor at the University of Oregon specializing in online behavior and media ethics, explained how the manosphere’s influence has grown:

“The term ‘manosphere’ has become increasingly amorphous. It’s used to describe everything from Andrew Tate to generic ‘hustle culture’—collapsing very different figures and audiences under the same umbrella.”

Phillips noted that media coverage has stretched the label further, absorbing adjacent ideas and audiences. This expansion creates a “unified front” that individuals adopt, even if they weren’t originally part of the ecosystem.

She pointed to Mark Zuckerberg’s comments on Joe Rogan’s podcast, where he advocated for bringing “masculinity” back to the workplace—a narrative that aligns with the manosphere’s emphasis on dominance and resistance to DEI initiatives.

The blending of these concepts, Phillips argued, makes the manosphere’s ideology more palatable to broader audiences, including professionals.