Incel
Short for “involuntary celibates”. The term was first conceived around 1995-1997 by a university student in Toronto called Alana (known only by her first name) to share her experience as a queer woman, her sexual inactivity and to connect with similarly lonely people.
Nevertheless, the term took a big turn for the worse around the early 2000s as different forums and digital community platforms took over the word. Over the next decade these mainly male communities would twist the concept that was originally for empathy, to a place where men blamed women for their lack of romantic or sexual relationships. With time, especially through the social media platform Reddit, the narrative and content of incel groups became more extremist, encouraging and conducting violence and misogyny (most self-identified Incels are men).
defined by Maria Rubio
Maria Rubio
Maria Rubio is a creative anthropologist, with a background in socio-cultural journalism. She applies her passion and expertise on human behaviour to creative content and strategy: from essays focusing on the female experience, to anthropological insights on social trends. Originating from Mexico, but having lived in four other countries, her feminism is informed by the experiences of women in different cultures, both those that are shared and those that differ.