From Batman to Ken to Napoleon: Why Do Men Cling to These Characters?
Image Courtesy: Shortlist
Nowadays, on social media, it has become normalized to stumble upon edits of main characters from different films in which the user posting them states, “literally me.” It started with Christian Bale’s Patrick Bateman, then shifted to Robert Pattinson’s Batman, and most recently, Napoleon Bonaparte has been added to the mix. Whether it is part of a joke or not, one must wonder what prompted such an obsession with these fictional men. Why have they been romanticized in social media edits? Why do men want to identify with these specific male leads, and what is there to gain by glorifying some problematic and toxic conceptions of masculinity?
Considering this all began in 2022 with the dishonorable Patrick Bateman rising to prominence 22 years after the release of American Psycho (2000), we must begin looking for answers there. No person, whether they loved the movie or, in more disturbing cases, the character himself, would deem Patrick Bateman anything near a role model. The fictional character is sick and riddled with mental illness and radical beliefs. Yet, for some odd reason, he seems to have started the latest “sigma” trend. Bateman, without a doubt, exhibits extreme toxic masculinity as a character. Maybe it is due to this toxic masculinity that these social media users grew attached to the character. Grappling with their roles in a constantly evolving society, these men attempt to cling to a society of the past. A society run by men for men, and women were simply an afterthought. These social media accounts may just be poking fun, but the alarming thing is that many users resonate with these characters. They want to be them, so they model their belief system after them. The perpetuation of these ideas only serves to instill frightening thoughts into easily influenced individuals, especially the young population.
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These edits have recently shifted to characters such as Batman and Napoleon Bonaparte. Once again, the fictional characters at the helm of these edits are men in positions of power. This is no coincidence, and it has become a common occurrence. The men who decide to emulate these characters and their ideals, becoming “sigma,” seek to set themselves apart from the “traditional” male today in pursuing independence, comfort, and respect. The truth is, these men are only ostracizing themselves from a progressive society that has cast away such detrimental, hyper-masculine thoughts years ago.
Image Courtesy: Rolling Stone
These edits can be amusing at times, but the ideas they perpetuate are not. So, if you stumble across one, consider the character the user glorifies. Ask yourself, why this character? What message are they trying to send? In doing so, you may arrive at an uncomfortable answer, but at least you will have one. Unfortunately, I do not see this trend ending anytime soon— we will have to wait and see what character edits follow Napoleon Bonaparte.
Strike Out,
Writer: Lucas Zaret
Editor: Noelle Knowlton
Tallahassee