A cat surprised by a toaster. Brad Pitt's evolution over the years. Gardening tips. "Feminism is cancer, here's why." Amid the constant scrolling on the TikTok app, this video stands out. On the face of it, there's nothing out of the ordinary, just a young, well-presented female influencer with impeccable staging. However, the content itself is striking, especially in the post-MeToo era. She's French, goes by the name of Thaïs d'Escufon and has almost 100,000 subscribers on TikTok and twice as many on YouTube.

Her videos are all of the same ilk: She declares that modern women are "irresponsible"; that female infidelity is "more serious" than that of men; blames birth control pills; and considers, in a video seen over a million times, "that men and women are not equal, never will be, and it's not desirable for them to be so." Her content is mainly aimed at young men, portrayed as victims of feminism. She gives them advice on becoming "real men," as well as "attracting (and keeping) a high-value woman."

D'Escufon isn't the only influencer to ride the antifeminist wave. The pushback has already proven successful elsewhere, notably in the United States. Hannah Pearl Davis, for instance, is one of the most famous female faces of the "red pill" movement with 2 million subscribers on YouTube. This masculinist movement, whose name was inspired by the red pill in the Matrix films (which allows you to see the "real world") believes that feminism threatens society. In a video viewed over a million times, she argues that women should not have the right to vote.

The 'tradwives' craze

However, antifeminism takes different forms among female influencers. It's not always so explicit, and it's also aimed at women. Another movement gaining attention is that of the "tradwives," who advocate for a traditional lifestyle. Estee Williams is one of the most emblematic. The American takes to social media in 1950s style, sharing her life as a housewife and giving cooking and beauty advice to her followers. She tells them how to "attract a masculine man, a provider man," and argues that putting your husband's wants ahead of your own is the "duty" of a good wife. Other tradwives adopt a more modern aesthetic, like Mrs Midwest, who, amidst videos about her life as a mom, urges followers to "reject feminist messages."

While the vast majority of antifeminist influencers are men, the existence of female influencers promoting these values is hardly surprising: Women have always been involved in antifeminist movements, according to historian Christine Bard, co-director of the collective 2019 book Antiféminismes et Masculinismes d'Hier et d'Aujourd'hui ("Antifeminism and Masculinism Yesterday and Today"). "What's new is that, with just one click and virtually for free, these female influencers can have an infinitely larger impact than before. Their methods can reach far more people at high speed, and on an unprecedented scale, without the filter of organizations, political parties or traditional media."

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