Date nightmare: the trouble man-hating memes cause

As videos mocking male behaviour in the dating landscape go viral across social media, Olivia Petter asks whether it's all lighthearted, relatable fun or if the joke has gone a bit too far

- Olivia Petter

The internet has always hated women.

Misogyny thrives in spaces where the propensity for anonymity is high and any kind of accountability is low. Now, though, it seems that the internet also hates men, particularly the ones who date women. If you’re looking for evidence, just spend a few minutes in a single straight woman’s social media algorithm. One quick look at mine and I’m inundated with clips and memes that take #MenAreTrash to another, sharper-toothed, frontier. “I hate when energy drinks are marketed towards men,” reads one meme on Instagram. “What could they possibly need energy for? Telling lies?” On X (Twitter), a post states: “Getting your heart broken by a noncommittal man with a slutty mustache is like losing chess to a dog.” Another reads: “One cool thing about dating men in your twenties is that you get to experience motherhood.”

Then there’s the litany of parody TikTok videos and Instagram reels reinforcing this same, deeply heterofatalistic message about modern dating. In this one, a man pretending to be talking to his therapist says he has an inclination to cheat on his girlfriend, but is worried about her finding out, in case it hurts his reputation. Several other clips feature videos of women walking, all with the same overlaid text: “Don’t let the fact you’re attracted to men stop you from hating them.” Then there’s this viral TikTok featuring Steve Carell from The Office with the caption, “Dating men: Is it easy? No. Do I like it? No, I don’t. But do I do it? Yeah, I do.”