Violence. Murder. Terror. These are the words that describe the outcome of the incel worldview in the series. It hits much harder when it's carried out by a 13-year-old boy who also understands he's not allowed to speak about this ideology openly and can only hint at it. This already gives us a glimpse into the creator's worldview, but it doesn't tell us much about the truth. That, we'll have to determine using our own judgment — and we certainly assume we have one.
Incel is short for Involuntary Celibate — single not by choice, or abstinent not by choice. The general idea is that 80% of women worldwide are attracted to only 20% of men (the "Chads" in incel parlance), which leaves most men out of the game, condemned to live lives of forced and miserable celibacy.
Now Let's Unpack the Headlines
So, let's start with the toxic and venomous part — naturally. Incels emphasize that what makes a man a "Chad" is above all physical attractiveness, which typically comes down to immutable biological traits like skull structure, height, and so on. In addition, social status, money, and other material assets serve as key factors.
I think you can already see the toxicity. The incel worldview regards women as an inferior species interested only in beauty, pleasure, and social status — not in the deep, meaningful, and unique personality traits that every human being possesses. It's a form of modern misogyny that, instead of emphasizing women's inferiority in terms of social standing like old-school misogyny, focuses on women's inferiority in terms of personality and depth.
Furthermore, the incel worldview emphasizes the "black pill" — the inability to change one's situation. A man who isn't a Chad and tries to become one will mainly reap disappointment and frustration. Meanwhile, anyone who doesn't understand the true power dynamics is trapped in the "blue pill" — the illusion that women are genuinely attracted to his deep and authentic personality.
In contrast, those who have awakened to the understanding of real power dynamics are in the "red pill" — seeing the world as it truly is, without bubbles or illusions. The inability to change one's situation is perhaps the most dramatic and catastrophic element of incel ideology, because it connects directly to the existential frustration that leads to the "terror" and murder depicted in the series.
The Incel "Catastrophe":
In my view, the most horrifying element of this worldview is that it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. If a man believes women are such an inferior species, how can he genuinely be attracted to a woman and truly love her? He effectively castrates his own ability to fall in love and experience real love, leaving him only with shallow "love relationships" where he later discovers she never truly loved him and it was all superficial — which will probably be true, but entirely because of him.
Moreover, think about the behavior of a man who feels unworthy of love and believes he has no real ability to change that. Think about the atmosphere around him — that is absolutely not a climate conducive to growing delightful emotions. It's a climate that grows thorns and thistles.
This element alone is sufficient reason to understand that this is a particularly toxic pill. Meaning, even if the incel premise were correct, it's the kind of idea one must refuse to accept in order to avoid being sucked into its vortex. It's amusing to note that the series chose a particularly attractive teenager who gets drawn into this ideology, fully convinced he doesn't look good and has no way to change it.
Additionally, this is an entirely radicalized version of a specific emotion and reality — but one that could just as easily be flipped toward men, claiming that 80% are attracted to just 20% of women who possess a certain beauty and feminine energy that can't be changed. It's fundamentally about standing before a problem and instead of confronting it and trying to change — constructing a theoretical victim narrative that allows one to remain in an emotional bubble.
Where Is It Actually True?
It's easy to explain the toxicity of incel ideology, but it would be intellectually honest to also engage substantively with the insights within it that do hold some truth, and grapple with them. First, it appears that what amplified this phenomenon enormously is dating apps — platforms that allow women to choose among hundreds or thousands of men, usually with no real sense of their character but mainly some impression of their looks and status.
This creates a situation where 20% (or more accurately 5%) of men on the app receive all the likes and female attention, while the rest of the men enjoy the crumbs at best. This situation doesn't benefit women either, who discover that the man they desire is overloaded beyond capacity, and in the best case is someone with whom a consistent relationship is impossible (in the worse case, he's interested in a hookup with zero emotional presence).
Furthermore, yes — women are attracted to men in their optimal state. One who, from an evolutionary standpoint, is likely to produce healthy offspring and possesses the ability and standing to care for them. This is the opposite of male evolutionary strategy, which is designed to spread genes in every direction. What this mainly means is that a man who wants to be desired needs to invest in himself — appearance, financial and social standing, and so on — or at the very least signal that he's heading in the right direction so that someone will believe in it and want to walk the path with him. Is that bad? No. Does it require more than just swiping right all the time? Yes, absolutely.
Where Do We Go from Here?
First of all, I hope I've managed to make you want to watch the series. It's absolutely worth your time. I also made sure to avoid spoilers and hope I succeeded. It's important to note that this isn't a theory with a deep and systematic thinker behind it — it's primarily an internet phenomenon, which can ignite a discussion about the internet's ability to connect people in a non-optimal state and drive them to brew together a particularly toxic worldview.
Finally, the most important thing is not to be afraid — to try to understand these theories, confront them, and thereby refine our human perception. That's also why I appreciate this series so much. So, what are your thoughts?
Oh — I also put together a complete incel glossary for anyone who wants to have a little fun.
The 80/20 myth is a case study in how flawed narratives shape perception. Understanding how such narratives are constructed — and how to dismantle them — is at the heart of narrative engineering.
