Self-dubbed misogynist Andrew Tate is impacting the way that young men treat women and view masculinity. 

Tate is a 36-year-old internet personality and former kickboxer. Now, he owns Hustlers University, which has online courses aimed at men who want to grow their wealth quickly. 

In 2016, Tate was in the British reality show “Big Brother,” but was taken off of the show for rape and sexual violence allegations. Amidst these allegations, a video of Tate beating a woman with a belt surfaced on the internet, which he said was just a “kink thing” and wasn’t abuse. 

Members of Hustlers University are encouraged to share videos of Tate on social media to recruit new members, with a commission incentive. 

Because of this, videos of Tate being openly misogynistic started to circulate on TikTok around August. 

Among Tate’s statements included him explaining what he would do to a woman if she were to cheat on him, to which he said, “It’s bang out the machete, boom in her face and grip her by the neck.” 

Tate states that women should not be allowed to drive or leave the house and that they are a man’s property. 

He also believes that female rape victims have to take responsibility, and he dates younger women because they are impressionable. 

Along with his discussion of women’s inferiority to men, Tate earned a ban from Twitter in 2017 for posting homophobic and racist slurs. His account has since been reinstated by new Twitter CEO Elon Musk. 

The culmination of his allegations and comments came in December, when Tate and his brother were arrested in Romania on rape and human trafficking charges. 

Tate’s outward disdain for women is reaching millions of young, impressionable boys. Studies have shown that social media heavily impacts the vulnerable minds of children and young adults. 

Tate is spreading ideals that are extremely harmful to minority groups and glorifying domestic abuse towards women. His masculine persona can make young men believe that in order to be a man, you have to support abuse and violence. 

Since Tate has declared himself a self-help coach, the effects of his courses can start small. His members might begin by changing small aspects of their lives, like going to the gym and working harder. 

But the effects of Tate don’t stop there. Business Insider shared a Kentucky educator’s statement about how boys are talking about girls in school. 

Allie Chmielewski said that she has heard boys saying they wish to go back to the 1950s when women didn’t have many rights. 

She also recalled boys saying that “women take care of (men), but we’re gonna control you.” 

I’ve heard many guys at UK laugh at Tate’s harmful comments. To me and many other women, these aren’t jokes. 

It’s disconcerting to think about men following after Tate’s domestic abuse. Seeing a man who preaches masculinity and abuses women both verbally and physically has had terrifying effects on young men and boys. 

There are plenty of ways to be an influencer and have an entertaining platform that teaches other men how to grow their wealth and careers without being abusive towards women. 

Being masculine has nothing in common with abuse, and it’s time that men stop believing that. 

Tate and any person who preaches abusive masculinity or hateful ideals has no place in the media that affects young people so strongly.