I got sucked into the manosphere at 24 — then I realised what they are really doing to men like me

A former 'manosphere' subscriber revealed the red flags he noticed in what he calls a 'cesspool of toxicity'.

Pierce Sebastian, 30, opened up about first coming into contact with 'red pill' content when he was just 24 years old.

At the time, he said he was simply trying to build his confidence and find a sense of belonging when he entered the online space famed for its misogyny, toxic masculinity, and hustle culture.

Speaking of the impact it began to have on him, Pierce said he would rate random women's looks out of 10 and was consuming the content for up to three hours a day.

It got to a point where he began sizing other men up whilst preparing himself for a psychical fight at any moment.

Pierce Sebastian called out the 'manosphere' (SWNS)

But after three years of being in the space, he said the 'simple minded' outlook left him bored.

Now, he's revealing the warning signs that at the time he missed before being drawn to the space.

Pierce, from Camberwell, southeast London, said: "It becomes a cesspool of toxicity where guys are rubbing each other‘s egos for doing horrible things and speaking horribly about women.

"A lot of men crave validation from other men, and they don’t even realise it."

He said at the time he was feeling lost when he found the manosphere in 2019.

He said: "I was lost, I didn't really know what I was doing with my life."

However, what was first supposed to be a space on the internet for male 'self-improvement stuff', quickly spiralled into something more.

"That's how most guys get into it," said Pierce. "How to become more of a man, be more masculine, be comfortable in your own skin."

He added: "Eventually, the algorithm shows you different sorts of videos making more political statements or generalising groups of people. Really it's more about them selling you your insecurities back to you."

Then, he said, 'before you know it, it's a perpetual cycle of confirming the things you already believe by controlling the variables that you see as part of the audience.'

This led to him admitting to being 'guilty of' something known as 'confirmation bias', he said, adding that this was 'where it was making fun of stereotypical female figures that were getting pushed at the time.'

"For example, blue-haired feminist gets owned, that sort of thing. The women would have really ridiculous statements or claims," he said of the content. "That was what engaged me because it felt more logical rather than the emotional shouting at people."

He explained that he didn't realise at first what he was getting into (SWNS)

In the end, he began to realise that the way his mindset had changed was not 'reality'.

Pierce said: "That was just a complete fantasy because I was never in a position to provide for anyone other than myself - I could barely do that. They sell that you're not a man unless you can provide for a woman and put them into their place, and make them more submissive."

He said: "I didn't hate women. I've always had a good relationship with women in my life, whether that's my mum or my sister.

"I saw the women in my life as fully-fledged individuals. But the masses, I had a blanket concept of what they believed in."

His recent autism diagnosis has also caused him to reconsider his stance online/

He said: "Leaving the space allowed me to learn so much more about myself.

"I feel like my horizons are far wider. The main thing I believed was this idea of hypergamy, where women always date upwards and men therefore always date downwards."

He added: "If I was a woman, why wouldn't I want to choose the best partner? It's common sense so it's hard to disprove. Now I am fully aware that there are normal people who date normal people. Two truths can exist together."

As for the men that create the content he was consuming, he said of their motives: "They use men as a resource, and treat them like a cash cow."