Young Men Think They’re the Victims Now (Feminism’s Not Dead — But Some Men Are Big Mad)

This episode is for you if you’re tired of cyclical headlines claiming “feminism is dead” or that gender equality has “gone too far,” and you want to deconstruct why these narratives keep resurfacing (and why they’re doing damage on purpose).

In this episode of Messy Liberation, feminist coaches Becky Mollenkamp and Taina Brown unpack Cosmo’s “feminism recession” story and the study beneath it — plus the anti-feminist pipeline, political gaslighting, and what we need to teach boys before they become grown men who can’t handle being told “no.”

In this episode, we get into:

• Why Gen Z men are falling into the anti-feminist pipeline
• Cosmo’s “feminism recession” framing — and what’s wrong with the study it leans on
• SignalGate (yes, they leaked war plans on an app) and the broader pattern of political gaslighting
• Data literacy + media manipulation: how “stats” get used to sell backlash
• White male fragility in politics and why these “hot takes” are not new
• What we need to teach boys before they become gaslighting adults
• Feminist rage, nuance, and how to keep your head when the internet wants you reactive

Timestamps

• 0:00 – Cosmo’s clickbait garbage
• 4:00 – SignalGate & political gaslighting
• 12:45 – Data literacy + media manipulation
• 25:00 – White men & rules they refuse to follow
• 40:00 – Raising boys who aren’t assholes

Resources mentioned

• “The Great Feminism Recession” in Cosmo
• King’s College London: global study on Gen Z gender divide
• “When Your Abuser is Your President” (No Trifling Matter)