Back in 2006, I was starting my men's image consulting business, and I needed to come up with a name that said ‘man’ and also projected confidence. So, I chose ‘Alpha M.’. It was a lot less in-your-face macho & obvious than ‘alpha male’ and quite frankly alpha m. had a much better ring than ‘King of the Jungle Consulting’ (but that would have been pretty sweet though,
ha!).
If I could go back in time, I would not call my channel ‘Alpha M.’ One of the reasons is because I know the name has a cringe-y sort-of look and feel now. That being said, I admit some of my content, titles, and thumbnails get cringe-y. The second reason is that I never intended to be grouped into the ‘manosphere’ or ‘dominant men.’
The manosphere? What is the manosphere you ask? The manosphere, the pseudo-network of blogs, forums, and websites focused on men's issues and lifestyle typically accented with an opposition to feminism. With its beginnings in the 70s, the manosphere is comprised of four broad groups: Men's Rights Activists, Men Going Their Own Way, Pick-Up Artists, and Incels. Specifically, the
manosphere's beliefs root from biases toward women, including the idea that feminism violates the balance of how men & women should behave and how men should embrace dominant alpha-type behavior to force women conform.
In the social dominance hierarchy, the alpha male is traditionally thought of as the dominant alpha-type. The alpha male has been described as manly, sociable, and outgoing. Originating in the manosphere, enter the term sigma male. The sigma male doesn't actively interact socially, but he is able to succeed in life and relationships nevertheless. In other words, he's successful and popular
although he's introverted and avoids the mainstream. The sigma male has been described as a lone wolf or an introverted alpha, ranking himself equal with an alpha male but sitting outside the social dominance hierarchy by choice.
Recently, I was pulled into someone's video who took what I have said about being a sigma and alpha of context. He only shared a small piece of what I actually said. In the first part of the video, this creator harshly criticizes a guy who is into the ‘sigma’ army and nation. Then, he went after me next. As you know, I am not into the whole ‘alpha’ thing, beating my chest; I simply want you to feel
great about yourself, build your confidence, and dominate your own life. From day one, my channel has had that goal. I am genuinely frustrated that this creator only took bits-and-pieces of my Sigma Male video, leaving the last half of my video
unaddressed -- my message which put the entire video into perspective and context.
Well, one of the things that makes me chuckle is all the comments under my YouTube videos that attempt to illustrate that I am in no way, shape, or form an ‘alpha male’. Viewers point out my height, my high-pitched voice, my earrings, and the list goes on. And honestly, I get it. I understand where they're coming from, because historically when you think of an alpha male, you think of
somebody who is powerful in their presence and personality.
But the modern-day alpha male, in my opinion, possesses a different set of skills and personality traits. The way I see it, we (you, me, the big guy, the little guy, the heavy guy, the skinny guy ... the sigma male) ALL can be Renaissance men in today’s world. In our current society, guys that get ahead (aka the leaders) are Renaissance men. They’re good at a lot of things, and they are all
about self-improvement.
We don’t have to big, tall, strong, or domineering. And we don't have to adhere to the social dominance hierarchy archetypes. We DO have to be in touch with who we are: strive to be better, be Renaissance men, live with passion, purpose, and confidence. Unlock the Renaissance man in you by embracing these principles and develop into your own natural sense of self.
To wrap this all up, I love everything that sigma stands for, and if I had to pick if I was an alpha, beta, or sigma, I would probably consider myself a sigma, except I like to look sexy because there’s nothing wrong with looking sexy. Bottom line, be the best person & human you can possibly be, and everything else will work
out.
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Alpha M. POST of the
WEEK
October 2015 vs October 2021
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