Sigma male

Sigma male (or simply sigma) is a term in internet slang used most often to describe the archetype of a male who is a "lone wolf".^[1][2] While the name is a product of manosphere message boards in the 2010s, the term has gained widespread prominence within internet culture, and since the early 2020s, has become an internet meme.^[3] Commonly regarded as the "rarest" type of male,^[4] a sigma male is typically denoted as an archetype of a male who is similar to the alpha male. Unlike an alpha male, sigma males are more introverted and seek to dominate themselves, in other words "self-mastery".

On social media, the term is often used to describe the idolization of masculine characters from films and TV shows, or celebrities.^[5] Alternatively, the term has taken on an ironic and satirical meaning, mocking the concept of the manosphere and the sigma grindset.^[6]

In 2023, #sigma gained over 46 billion views on the social media platform TikTok.^[7]

The term first originated in a 2010 blog post by American alt-right writer Vox Day.^{[8][non-primary source needed]} In 2014, California plastic surgeon John T. Alexander published the book The Sigma Male: What Women Really Want,^[9] and advertised it on social networking sites Twitter and Tumblr.^[10] Between 2017 and 2018, the term began to gain popularity on YouTube,^[10] and has since included titles such as "Why Sigma Males are Highly Attractive to Women", "5 Habits of the Sigma Male", and "10 Signs You’re a Sigma Male". The term went viral in 2021 following a tweet by YouTuber Lily Simpson, stating "What the f**k is going on with men"^[11] alongside infographics of sigma-related content.^[12] According to Google Trends, the "sigma male" search term first appeared in 2021.^[7]

The term is often used to describe film characters. Actor Christian Bale's portrayal of the character Patrick Bateman from the 2000 film American Psycho is most often cited as an ideal representation of a sigma male, both through memes and unironic discussion.^[13] This includes Tommy Shelby, the protagonist of the crime drama Peaky Blinders,^[7] and Canadian actor Ryan Gosling.^[14] It is also used to describe celebrities, for instance, journalist Robert Crampton, who writes the Beta Male column of The Times Saturday magazine, describes the controversial social media personality Andrew Tate as a sigma male.^[15]

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Beth Skwarecki, health editor of the weblog Lifehacker, describe the sigma male as a "bullshit concept from the incel world."^[16] Due to the term's attribution to fictional film characters, it has been highlighted as promoting unrealistic personality and beauty standards.^[14]

Look up sigma male in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

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