Is your downstairs area ‘open to the world’ or do you have a ‘tamed pussy’?
Oh, sorry — no idea what I’m talking about? Let me clue you in to the nonsensical world of ‘green line theory.’
Encouraged by the likes of Andrew Tate and ‘12 Rules For Life’ author Jordan Peterson, the online ‘manosphere’ has become obsessed with what’s known as ‘green line theory.’
The pseudoscientific theory suggests that ‘real men’ don’t lean into their partners or stand sideways with their body facing their partners.
To do so is apparently a sign of weakness or servitude, and says to the world that you have “cock shame”, i.e. you’re ashamed of your manhood and would prefer to be lead by an alpha woman. This is classic ‘beta’ behaviour.
Twitter user Rivelino, one of the prominent members of the online community who promotes this line of thought, explained the theory in a tweet: “When a man leans into his woman, he reveals his mental weakness and this is revolting to her.
“Drawing green lines and being aware of our masculine posture can help relationships stay strong and healthy.”
He recently showed an example of this toxic line of thinking when he captioned a photo of actor Jonah Hill and his ex-girlfriend, pro surfer Sarah Brady, with this list of reasons why Hill was showing signs of being ‘beta’:
- He is leaning into her, she is standing straight
- His cock is facing her pussy, her pussy is facing the world
- His shoulders and feet are off balance, her shoulders and feet are balanced
- He has hand shame, she has hand confidence
- Dog has perfect alpha posture
Nope, even our pets can’t escape the rigid rules of misogyny.
The theory is mainly shared by alt-right groups online as a way to further toxic masculine concepts that aim to undermine and control women.
Speaking to Dazed, Vincent Denault, an expert in nonverbal communication, says that the theory is a “nonsensical” idea: “Similar claims are widely disseminated by ‘body language experts’, associating specific facial and body positions to specific meanings, all with a single photo.
“These claims go against decades of scientific research. Anyone remotely familiar with nonverbal behaviour research would recognise the nonsense,” he explains.
Why are men psychoanalysing harmless images of couples in this way? One reason could be a fear of loss of control in our ever-changing world, with women refuting traditional gender stereotypes more than ever before.
In the same feature for Dazed, Simon Copland, a PhD candidate in sociology at the Australian National University, says it’s this that’s driving the wave of misogyny online: “Many men do really feel that their lives are pretty shit, and they are looking for people to blame for this.
“We’ve seen real changes in our society in the past decades, and I do believe a lot of men are feeling disenfranchised and alienated,” he says. “A lot of people in the world are feeling this way in general.”
Men do seem to be having a crisis of identity at the moment, and are experiencing less romantic connection. In 2019, The Washington Post shared that 28% of men under 30 hadn’t had sex in the last year, and 77% of men polled have suffered from common mental health symptoms, like anxiety, stress or depression.
From ‘no fap’ to Men Going Their Own Way (shortened to MGTOW online), they seem to be trying to redefine what it means to be a man in the year 2023.
And for a good chunk of them, that seems to mean doubling down on toxic ideologies and trying to control women – scary stuff.