The monstrous-feminine in the incel imagination: investigating the representation of women as femoids on/r/Braincels

This article presents a study of the discourses circulating /r/Braincels, the (now-defunct) forum on Reddit for self-proclaimed incels, that bolster the belief in the structural victimisation of men under a purported gynocentric order. Particularly, it uses feminist critical discourse analysis to explore perceptions created by the term femoid, a pejorative generated by incels to refer to women. It examines the dehumanising characteristics of femoid that construct women as an abject Other-a monstrous-feminine-thereby justifying the violence enacted on them. I demonstrate how, rather than being unique to online spaces, the misogyny expressed on /r/Braincels is linked to and enabled by broader social practices that similarly position women as inferior Others; these attitudes are symptomatic of, not anomalous to, the deeply misogynistic society we live in.

Automated summary

This study investigates the discourses on /r/Braincels, a Reddit forum for self-proclaimed incels, and reveals the dehumanizing attitudes towards women, exemplified by the term "femoid" used to demean them. The research finds that the misogyny expressed on /r/Braincels is not isolated to online spaces, but is connected to broader societal practices that reinforce the inferior status of women. It highlights the deeply misogynistic nature of our society.