What does it really mean to be a ‘man’ in modern society today?
For many young men today, the answer is far from simple. To be a ‘man’, for some, requires meeting a long checklist of beliefs, wealth status, and even physical features; it is almost like creating a digital character in a video game.
In recent years, the ‘manly’ character has permeated pop culture and become so ingrained in young boys’ lives that there is now a term for it, dubbed the “manosphere.” The online milieu, where a man openly boasts about dominating women and manifests certain aggressive tendencies, such as aggression, excessive wealth, and unchecked power, promotes unhealthy and rigid masculinity norms.
Inside the world of the manosphere, manfluencers, another term for male influencers such as Andrew Tate, promote a fantasy in which young boys are led to believe that becoming a ‘real man’ requires flaunting excessive wealth and material possessions, while also disrespecting and controlling women through demeaning attitudes.
Tate’s fantasy-driven portrayal of masculinity has grown so dangerous that British schools have been compelled to develop policies directly responding to his misogynistic ideology. His influence not only normalises violence against young women but also encourages young men to idolise a lifestyle defined by conspicuous wealth, luxury cars, and multiple relationships with women.
In Egypt, the manosphere manifests itself in the public eye through major male icons such as Egyptian singer Ahmed Saad. The singer starred in an advertisement campaign for Orange Egypt, a local telecom company, which was released last November.
The campaign, much like Andrew Tate’s portrayals of masculinity, depicts Saad as extremely wealthy, as he boasts about being married to four women. Saad went as far as stating in a social media caption, “I did what God’s law allows; no one can talk to me,” implying that, as a man, he cannot be questioned for his actions and that his power and dominance are beyond accountability.
Despite Al-Azhar, the largest Islamic religious academic institution globally, condemning polygamy and highlighting its oppression of women and children, extensive research also shows that the practice causes both psychological and economic damage. It perpetuates women’s lower social and economic status by forcing them to share resources with their husbands’ other wives and children, and commodifies women by reducing them to mere assets to fulfil men’s sexual desires. Women are objectified as tools for showcasing men’s wealth, power, and sexual gratification.
The campaign also faced online backlash, with one Egyptian user noting that “you do not need to be a feminist brand to be a responsible one,” arguing that the campaign could be triggering for many women in the region who have already experienced abuse rooted in harmful societal beliefs about women’s roles.
At a time when young men are constantly exposed to unhealthy and toxic representations of masculinity, Saad’s latest campaign only adds fuel to the fire by once again reinforcing the fantasy-driven ideal of masculinity, prompting us all to question: are we truly paying attention to how men are raised in society?
The campaign presents Saad’s lifestyle as a “dream” of complete masculinity, characterized by immense wealth and access to multiple women. Yet in a society where many families and men struggle economically, whose dream is this really, and who does it serve?
Masculinity as a Constructed Performance and Fantasy
In every culture, there is a popular expression that dictates what a ‘real man’ does or does not do. From movies to pop culture, there is always the idea that a ‘real man’ (or, as Egyptians would say, el ragel bgad) would not act in a certain way.
The expression has been used for greater political or commercial purposes, having little relation to the man himself, or taking into account the different identities men can hold. The idea of being a ‘real man’ acts as a profit-generating engine. It exploits their insecurities and fantasies, allowing major corporations and male influencers to extract profit by selling a fantasy that is ultimately more harmful than beneficial.
Globally, the phrase “real man” has long served as a powerful tool in propaganda, leveraging societal notions of masculinity to manipulate behavior and advance specific agendas. In capitalist systems, masculinity is constructed around wealth, productivity, and consumption, marginalising unemployed or poorer men and framing them as less masculine, which reinforces shame, failure, and identity loss.
Appearing ‘unmanly’ is enough of a fear tactic to make a man feel ashamed, embarrassed, and even excluded from society, seen as weak or a complete failure. As a result, they become more vulnerable to fantasies of masculinity, using them to compensate for feelings of inadequacy and pursuing an unrealistic and damaging ideal of what it means to be a man.
These unrealistic expectations of success and wealth, framed as requirements for being a “real man,” negatively affect men’s mental health and are associated with higher rates of violence and self-harm, as well as an increased likelihood of harming or demeaning others.
The expression was also frequently used for commercial purposes, particularly in advertising and media, to normalize male participation in consumerism while upholding traditional gender roles. Advertising campaigns explicitly weaponized this ideal. In the 1950s, Marlboro repositioned its cigarettes as symbols of rugged manhood through the “Marlboro Man” archetype, associating smoking with being a “real man” in order to drive sales amid declining tobacco consumption.
From economic status to encouraging increased tobacco consumption, the idea of a ‘real man’ has often functioned as a propaganda tactic rather than a genuine concern for how men express and understand themselves. This is no different in Egypt, where economic pressures amplify the image of the ‘real man’ as the breadwinner, and where unemployment or the inability to provide is often seen as emasculating.
Before young men even get the chance to define their own identity as men, on their own terms, in ways that feel personal and authentic to their lived experiences, they are already being fed toxic ideals of masculinity that serve purposes unrelated to their actual lives.
Young men are growing up with a version of masculinity designed for profit, rather than one that supports their health or well-being. They are led to believe that being “manly” requires achieving a lifestyle that exists only on screens, marked by wealth, status, and the objectification of women as accessories to display, much like luxury cars.
When women are treated as decorative extensions of a man’s image, they are reduced to commodities, stripped of their agency, independence, and rights.
The Dangers of Ahmed Saad’s Advertisement
This is the image promoted by Saad’s advertisement: he stands at the center, surrounded by four women, who later appear to be running after him. He occupies the central position in the frame and in the narrative, while the women are reduced to mere accessories, entirely dependent on him and positioned as objects of display.
The ad portrays having multiple women and immense wealth as a “dream” lifestyle, implying it is better than his current life with one wife. Ignoring the psychological and financial harms that women may endure in polygamous arrangements, it boils the story down to a male fantasy designed to make him feel more successful and powerful, focusing entirely on his desires rather than any broader social good.
The story centers entirely on his desires and fantasies, rather than any benefit to society as a whole.
But what messages are we sending to young men by suggesting that their fantasies and desires are more important than the realities women face in such relationships? What are we teaching them about masculinity and the meaning of being a man? Is it defined by the possessions, luxuries, and fantasies they can display, or by their character, how they confront life’s challenges, and the values they uphold?
Psychologists who have worked with survivors of such relationships often compare the dynamics to cult-like control, as these arrangements create information imbalances between spouses, with the husband consistently at the top of the hierarchy.
Even the mere fear or possibility of a husband taking another wife can push women to extreme stress and desperation. Many adopt strategies to protect themselves, such as managing resources through informal “insurance” to secure their position, or submit entirely to their husbands, who may use the threat of marrying another woman as a tactic to enforce obedience.
The portrayal of polygamy in the advertisement is deliberately designed to glorify Ahmed Saad’s masculinity, presenting a fantasy of manhood that is not rooted in reality, but instead serves commercial and profit-driven interests.
These ideals actively encourage violence, not only against women, but also against men who do not neatly conform to rigid social definitions of masculinity. Men who do not outwardly adhere to the most dominant and socially valued expressions of manhood are often victimized, stigmatized, or relegated to a lower social status.
And when manhood becomes associated with luxury cars and the number of women a man can marry, rather than with how a man contributes positively to his society and community, we should not be surprised by the rising rates of violence in our society.
The opinions and ideas expressed in this article are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the views of Egyptian Streets’ team.
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