Warning: This post mentions domestic violence and graphic descriptions of abuse.
Women are property, can’t drive, and only deserve to be resuscitated when they’re "hot", according to videos of online personality Andrew Tate on TikTok.
In another viral video clip, the 35-year-old ‘self-help' guru preaches that men should only date 18-to-19-year-olds, as they are easy to “make an imprint on”. The clips are pulled from other videos of Tate's podcasts and YouTube videos and reposted by what appears to be fan accounts.
It’s a worrying ideology that has domestic violence campaigners sounding the alarm on Tate’s extreme beliefs and the influence it can have on young men — especially as the videos often pass a million views.
Who is Andrew Tate and why has he got advocates worried?
The British-American kickboxer-turned-influencer promotes an opulent, violent, ‘playboy’ lifestyle where he portrays himself as a man who "gets what he wants" while imploring other young men to subscribe to his teachings.
In 2016, Tate was removed from the reality show 'Big Brother' after the release of a video in which he appeared to beat a woman with a belt. In 2017, he was permanently suspended from Twitter for comments he made about women - although he later made new accounts under other names before they were removed again.
But the once-fringe personality has now been pushed onto centre stage, largely due to TikTok’s algorithm, which has helped Tate garner billions of views.
On Instagram, Tate now has 4.3 million followers and across social media has many fan accounts dedicated to him.
In one now-removed viral TikTok video, Tate graphically talks about choking women. In a second video, also removed, Tate waves a machete around saying if a woman accused him of cheating, he would “bang out the machete, boom in her face and grip her by the neck. Shut up bitch.”
Allan Ball, the national director of anti-violence against women organisation White Ribbon Australia, told The Feed he is concerned by Tate's popularity.
He said Tate’s misogynistic messaging has the ability to radicalise young men and result in real-world harm and violence.
“The way it's manufactured, the way these glamourous TikTok videos, in particular, are seducing young men's minds, is very purposeful. It's glorifying misogyny,” Mr Ball said.
"He's a predator, he's an absolute predator."
In response to criticism, Tate shared a meme on his Instagram in June suggesting only women are offended by his commentary while men agree with him.
As backlash mounted this week, Tate announced in a statement on social media he would "donate significant funds to charities which support women against domestic violence" to show he is "a nice loving man".
How Andrew Tate videos went viral on TikTok
TikTok’s algorithm means if a user positively interacts with a video - say by watching, sharing or liking it - TikTok then shows it to more users who might share similar interests.
The process then repeats itself, recommending it to more people who establish similar tendencies or profiles on TikTok. This is how videos can quickly go viral.
Some online users have accused Tate of manipulating the algorithm with the explosive nature of his comments to grow his popularity and wealth.
Some accounts, said to be run by fans, also link back to his ‘Hustler’s University’ course where Tate calls himself a millionaire ‘professor’ who can coach others into acquiring wealth and women.
Posts under the #AndrewTateInspiration on Instagram.
Identical calls have been made by White Ribbon advocates in the UK.
“This is pure hate speech, it's repugnant and TikTok and social media platforms need to answer for the hateful content and misogyny they disseminate when they allow this to go unfiltered,” said Mr Ball.
While TikTok has taken down some of Tate's videos from its platform, most of which had millions of views before they were removed, many still remain.
Responding to questions on why it took days to pull down viral content which breached its policy, a TikTok spokesperson told The Feed in a statement: “Misogyny and other hateful ideologies and behaviours are not tolerated on TikTok, and we are working to review this content and take action against violations of our guidelines.”
A screenshot from a TikTok video of Andrew Tate graphically inciting violence against a woman.
In practice, it often takes days before videos are removed. Currently, #AndrewTate on the platform has billions of views.
Other platforms, including Spotify and Meta, ban hate speech, including hate speech targeting a particular sex.
On Spotify, podcasts from Tate with similar concerning messages continue to be hosted. Spotify declined to comment.
Brittany Ralph from Melbourne's Monash University, who studies masculinity, said misogynistic discourse will always exist online, but there are tools to combat it beyond moderation.
"Controversial topics are always going to promote more engagement, whether it's good or bad engagement," she said.
"We need to focus our energy on educating young men about gender norms and equipping them with the knowledge to be critical of these perspectives and understand the harm they can cause."
Australia: Most misogynistic Western country in the world
For those who are stunned by the popularity of Tate, Mr Ball points to a study released in March by market research company Ipsos and the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership.
The study found that one in five Australians think women who say they were abused often make up or exaggerate claims of abuse or rape — the highest of any western nation.
It also found 22 per cent of Australians believed that gender inequality doesn’t really exist, a quarter believed feminism does more harm than good, while 21 per cent thought men have lost economic, political or social power as a result of feminism. Men were at least twice as likely to say this than women.
At the time of the report’s release, Ipsos public affairs director Jess Elgood said sentiment was partly driven by online content.
“The findings from this study suggest that gender equality still has a long way to go in Australia. We lag behind many countries in terms of gender bias and our perceptions of what is considered acceptable online,” said Ms Elgood.
“These views on the acceptability of physical and online gender-based violence by some people may be partly driven by the prevalence of harmful and misogynistic content online.
"The prevalence of these online messages can be seen to both contribute to and reflect wider issues with sexism and misogyny in societies.”
The Feed is seeking comment from YouTube.
If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.
