Self-proclaimed incel shares biggest misconception people have about lifestyle choice

A US man has opened up about what it's like being a self-proclaimed incel, including the biggest misconception people have about him.

'Incel' - short for involuntarily celibate - is a term associated with an online subculture of men who are not sexually active despite wanting to be.

The incel movement is characterised by feelings of self-loathing and feeling 'inferior' to other men.

This can be so severe that some incels use extreme measures, such as hitting themselves in the face with a hammer, in order to improve their appearance, in a trend known as 'looksmaxxing.'

It's also a movement associated with violence, particularly towards women.

Incel forums are a hotbed for violent rhetoric, so much so The Sun reported that the word 'rape' was used every 29 minutes on one.

Tragically, this violence has extended into the real world on more than one occasion, most notably when 22-year-old Elliot Rodger went on an incel-inspired killing spree in 2014 that saw him take the lives of six people.

Now, self-proclaimed incel Derrick has sat down with Jubilee to answer people's questions about his lifestyle in hopes of shining 'a more positive light on this community, which has a very negative light upon it.'

YouTube/Jubilee

When asked what happened that led to him joining the incel movement, he simply said, "Society," and laughed.

But, while he vehemently denies hating women, Derrick also admits that he has no female role models and 'probably wouldn't be supportive' of the US having a female president.

"I do think that men should be the leaders and women should be the caregivers," he said.

Addressing his somewhat traditionalist views, another person asked: "What do you think it is about liberal areas that create behaviours in women that you think are problematic?"

Derrick explained: "Promiscuity leads to increased standards in more primitive aspects such as looks. And that typically makes it harder for some people to find a relationship, including sometimes good-looking people.

YouTube/Jubilee

"There are guys who are much better looking than I am who are having a really hard time finding someone."

When asked if he thought promiscuity was the problem, he replied: "Yeah."

Derrick acknowledges the bad rep incels have due to acts of violence by its members, something he condemns.

"I don't think violence in the solution," he said. "I don't think attacking random people is going to fix anything."

But, he says the actions of these 'small handfuls' of men have created a misconception of the wider incel community.

"I think most of the men are not inherently bad people. A lot of them are just lonely. They just need some help really.

"You know the lonely person in your class or the the lonely person in your workplace, maybe he's an incel and he's not letting you know.

"Just be nice. Say 'hi.' Try and make friends with him. You don't have to date him, or whatever, just brighten up someone's lonely day."

He also wishes people would recognise the hard work incels like him put in to better themselves.

"They just assume that they're all lazy and sad and angry at women and just giving up.

"You don't have to see the bad things in the world and then come out a bad person. You can see [them] and improve upon yourself because of them."