Blackpilled

Incels – ‘involuntary celibates’, a label used by mostly young men who have difficulty finding romantic partners and social connections – have been widely associated with violence and misogyny. Recent misogynist attacks – from the 2014 shooting in Isla Vista, California, to the 2024 Bondi Junction stabbings in Sydney – have created a sense of urgency to prevent further violence, with the media and governments homing in on incels as the primary culprits of misogynist extremism. Efforts to prevent violence by this community have included discussions by governments to officially designate incels as a terrorist movement.But is the perception of incels as uniquely violent, irredeemable and crazed woman-haters correct or even fair? Incels are not aliens who came down to earth on women-hating spaceships; they are young men and boys who are products of our society and media environment. While their belief system is no doubt extreme, they haven’t constructed it from nothing. Media acts as both a reflection of and an influence on our society; we create our identities through many means, but in the west, media messaging plays a significant role in how we conduct ourselves, understand our place in society and perceive others. Featuring interviews with incels from around the globe, Blackpilled aims to shed light on the relationship between incels’ views and portrayals of masculinity. Through the lens of films and TV series such as Fight Club, Taxi Driver, Euphoria, Breaking Bad and Blade Runner 2049, Meadhbh Park examines how the incel worldview has been formed by popular culture and also how it shapes society’s perception of incels.