Here's Your Guide To All That Red Pill Lingo You Might Overhear Your Teen Saying

After the Netflix series Adolescence quickly shot to the number one watched show on Netflix, reaching around 124 million views worldwide, people started to take notice of some phrases and terms used in the show, like the “80/20 Rule” and “red pilling.”

Adolescence follows the story of a young boy, redpilled on the internet, and accused of murdering a female classmate. Throughout the story, detectives and the boy’s father soon realize some of the motives behind the boy’s actions, including red pilling and the “manosphere.”

Understanding what the “manosphere” is and the terms associated with it is vital. Brushing up on these seemingly innocent terms can help parents start conversations with young men who are repeating these words. Recognizing that the language and ideology behind it can help with these indoctrination attempts on young people, especially boys, and thwart the attempts at manipulation. Here are some key terms to know when it comes to the manosphere, incel culture, and red pilling.

Red and blue pill

In the 1999 sci-fi film The Matrix we were all introduced to the concept of the red pill. In the film, the protagonist, Neo, is offered a choice of two pills. If he takes the blue pill, he will continue to exist in the world as he knows it, which is actually a simulation controlled by machines. If he takes the red pill, he will be released into the “real world”, where the curtain is pulled back and “the truth” is revealed.

In the manosphere, “red pilling” is seeing the world as it really is, understanding the so-called “real” way of women’s behavior and dating preferences, like the “80/20 Rule.”

The 80/20 Rule

In episode two of Adolescence, student Adam (Amari Bacchus) tells his police officer dad that the “100” emoji is code for the so-called 80/20 rule.

“80% of women are attracted to 20% of men. Women, you must trick them because you’ll never get them in a normal way. 80% of women are cut off… she’s saying he’ll always be an incel,” he explains.

For context, an incel stands for “involuntarily celebate.” Incels are members of an online community of young men who consider themselves unable to attract women sexually, typically associated with views that are hostile or hate-filled toward women and men who are sexually active.

Alphas and betas

The terms “alpha” and “beta” are a couple of the more subtle phrases that may seem totally harmless if you hear them uttered around your house. However, the idea of alpha and beta is the epicenter of the manosphere, which is obsessed with status, power, prestige, and hierarchy.

Originally a term to help describe different wolves in a wolf pack, the “alpha” was argued to be the most socially dominant male. Becoming an alpha is an aspirational goal for many men who engage with manosphere content. Alphas are in charge, have their pick of sexual partners, and have ultimate control, both of themselves and others.

Betas are the opposite — physically and psychologically weak, unattractive, shy, submissive, generally lacking in the qualities necessary to attain “real” manhood. You might hear your kid call another kid a “simp.” That term can also live in this vein.

Cuck

While on the topic of “weak men,” another term that is thrown around often in the Manosphere world is “cuck.”

Coming from the world cuckold, which means a man whose wife has been unfaithful, cuck is widely used in the manosphere. The term has also been associated with the idea of a man finding pleasure in his wife’s sexual desires and activities with other men.

The term is used as an insult, since the idea of allowing a female partner to have consensual sex with other men goes against everything a “Chad” would stand for (maintaining control, etc).

Chads and Stacys

Like we said before, the manosphere is obsessed with hierarchy. This can be clearly seen in the terms “Chad” and “Stacy.”

Chads are the “ultimate alpha” – the ultra-masculine, virile, powerful, and sexually attractive man to whom Stacys and other women flock. The term “gigachad” refers to the most alpha of alpha males. Stacys are the picture of femininity – attractive and sexy.

A Stacy has a “naturally curvy body” with “big tits and ass” that “give men instant erections.” She has “sexy, majestic long blonde hair,” her makeup is “on point” and she carries a “$2,000 Gucci bag” and “lives in luxury.”

Beckys

On the flip side of Stacy, there is Becky. According to the manosphere, “Beckys” are the “average” woman. In some circles, these women are also referred to in dehumanizing terms such as “femoids” or “FHOs (Female Humanoid Organism).”

One visual explainer describes a Becky as wearing “loose baggy clothing to hide small tits/flat ass” and needing to wear “super tight yoga pants to get a few looks.” She allegedly carries a “$5 backpack” and has a “nerdy bun” because she “thinks guys like the ‘natural’ look.”

If you ever hear your tween or teen talking about "Redpilling a Becky" it’s time for a talk. This is the process of attempting to "redpill" a woman, typically by persuading her that societal norms and expectations about gender are harmful or unrealistic.

Who is Andrew Tate?

If your child has started mentioning the name Andrew Tate, the Tate Brothers, or anything similar, this is a major red flag. Andrew Tate is a self-proclaimed "misogynist" who first rose to fame after an appearance on the British version of reality TV show Big Brother in 2016. He only lasted six days on the program before being removed following the emergence of a video that appeared to show him attacking a woman.

Now, the 38-year-old former kickboxer boasts more than 10 million followers on X, formerly Twitter.

In an interview with another YouTuber, he said he was "absolutely a misogynist", and added: "I'm a realist, and when you're a realist, you're sexist. There's no way you can be rooted in reality and not be sexist."

In that same video, he described women as "intrinsically lazy" and said there was "no such thing as an independent female.”

Andrew Tate and his brother face a number of civil and criminal legal cases, including an investigation into allegations of human trafficking and rape, which they deny.

Tate is not the only anti-feminist influencer to find an online home in the Manosphere. Creators such as Sneako, Logan Paul, The NELK Boys, Fresh and Fit, Joe Rogan, Jordan Peterson, and Adin Ross are all creators explicitly appealing to young men either through shared interests, like video games or Donald Trump, or by offering to teach them how to make money or “get girls.”