There is nothing better to start the day than taking a refreshing ice bath. Maybe in summer the idea is not so shocking, but in February you might think twice and go back to the latte. This is not the case of a truly successful man, an alpha, someone of “great value”, in short, capable of sacrificing himself to achieve perfection. And this is certainly not the case of Pável Dúrov, the millionaire co-founder of Telegram, champion of freedom – even if this freedom can end the fundamental rights of some people – and anti-system – especially if this system threatens his individualism.
In recent days, attention has focused on the Russian businessman due to his indictment in France for up to twelve crimes, among which the complicity of the messaging application in the authorization of drug trafficking or the distribution of child pornography stands out.
This is not the first time that Dúrov has had problems with governments and institutions, although in the few interviews he has given he assures that he collaborates with the authorities, he also defends that personal freedom and privacy must come before the rules. “To be truly free, you must be willing to risk everything for freedom. In the end, privacy is more important than bad things, like terrorism,” he shared on his Instagram.
Although Dúrov tries to keep his private life away from the public, from his social media posts and broadcast channels, one can extract an idea that underlies this world of money, constant changes of residence and discipline. ability: which could be considered as a “man of great value”, “man of great value” in Spanish.
Ultraliberalism and “high-value” sexism
A quick Google search is enough to discover the common characteristics of this type of masculinity, promulgated by multi-platform pseudogurus, especially in recent years. Attributes that draw on the ultra-liberal—having money, being able to provide for one’s needs, being entrepreneurial—and traditional gender stereotypes—not being carried away by emotions, always appearing confident, achieving bodily perfection, returning to the idea of a man-hunter, all dressed up in self-care and grooming techniques. mindfulness.
Dúrov represents this figure of the new successful man. His fortune is estimated at more than fifteen billion dollars according to Forbes, and the examination of his networks confirms this idea, in particular the most recent publications. In the last messages He appears dressed in black, with a bare gymnasium torso, all accompanied by quotes and reflections generally taken from references whose image – often distorted and far from historical reality – also evokes this “masculine energy”.
The controversial influencer Andrew Tate, arrested and accused of human trafficking and rape, has been one of the figures on the Internet who has spread these misogynistic messages for years, in addition to defining, on several occasions, what this concept of “high value man” means. In his words: “A man capable of making money”, “smart”, “rich”, “strong”, “capable of killing someone and holding a baby in his arms in the same day”. “A lot of women don’t realize how difficult it is to become a ‘high value man’,” Tate complained in a video that has been viewed more than 22 million times.
Fernando Herranz, a gender studies specialist at the University of Alicante, explains that these types of ideas about masculinity amount to “recovering characteristics based on male domination” with the intention of returning to an “idyllic past of what it was like to be a man.” The researcher explains that these influencers of masculinity “have been able to control the discourse” and now offer an “easy solution to very complex problems” from which a society can suffer, such as precariousness or psychological problems.
In this way, they accuse the feminist movement or “the dictatorship of the 2030 Agenda” of “losing the essence of what it really means to be a man,” according to them. And, instead of seeing that the cause of these problems comes from an economic and social system, they opt for a false sense of control: becoming again “men of action in every sense of the word.”
“A man should stand up for himself, not be held up by others,” Dúrov wrote in a quote he attributed to Marcus Aurelius, accompanied by a photograph of the shirtless millionaire soaking in his ice-cold tub. An image that is repeated on TikTok with hundreds of videos of young people sharing their ice-bath routines.
“Self-discipline is the key” to being an “alpha”
In another of his posts, he asks his followers to take part in the #PutinShirtlessChallenge, a challenge that encourages Russians to upload shirtless photos, as President Vladimir Putin has been doing for years. The Telegram owner asks to follow rules such as not using Photoshop: “Otherwise, you are not an alpha.” And what does it take to be an alpha? Dúrov answers this question in another message, this time posted on his personal Telegram channel, in which he gives advice on how to look younger: no alcohol, sleep “a lot,” don’t eat “too much” (no snacks, of course), not eating meat, among other things. “Self-discipline is the key to health, wealth and happiness,” he says. In other words, having a perfect body and life is within everyone’s reach: you just have to discipline yourself.
This obsession with the perfect body, peppered with ideas such as “my body is my temple”, is essential in the construction of the “man of great value” and the man capable of success in the professional world, but also personally and personally. in their relationships. “The body is fundamental in any identity construction. It is the main tool we have to achieve our identity,” Herranz summarizes in a conversation with elDiario.es. “In masculinity, the body has played an important role,” he continues, and precisely one of its main characteristics is strength, physical power.
Self-discipline is the key to health, wealth and happiness
Pavel Durov
— Co-founder of Telegram
“Masculinity must be understood as an adaptive element, as a living being that adapts to the context.” Herranz indicates that the construction of masculinity has gone from “the man with chest hair”, even hirsute, to a change of image in which body care and appearance are more valued. In the most extreme cases, this philosophy of life focused on a muscular body and adherence to strict diets has ended up joining some far-right bubbles, denialist ideas and even conspiracy theories.
The writer Naomi Klein talks about it in her latest book Doppelganger: A Journey into the Mirror World (Paidos). In an interview with the British newspaper The Guardian, Klein explains that in the same way that the first protests against the lockdown in the United States were about being able to go to prayer, it was also about going to the gym with this idea of ”My body is my force field against everything that happens” or “I’m building my immune system.” “When you work within a hierarchical system of human beings and bodies, you enter the territory of fascism,” Klein explains. This fascism that understands that there are human beings who are more “pure” or “perfect” than others, according to attributes such as their skin color, but also their body type. And this is what makes them more deserving of success than others, it makes them above and, in short, people of “great value.”
Other pseudo-financial gurus and well-being
He influencer The Russian, who boasts of having had more than 100 biological children thanks to sperm donations, is not the only one to respect these rules. More and more public figures are emerging who imitate these speeches and create content related to these roles: through vertical videos on Instagram or TikTok, but also through podcasts broadcast on different channels. All this pushed by the algorithm of the manosphere of men who send misogynistic messages.
“They grew up in a system of male domination where they had privileges that today, thanks to feminist movements, are beginning to be questioned. Today, being sexist once again enjoys legitimacy in the discourse,” says Herranz. This group of influencers and content creators see “a loss of privileges conceived as a loss of rights”. Various studies have shown in recent years how, in the face of feminist advances, there is a reaction from a part of the population, particularly the youngest, against them. The latest CIS survey on the perception of equality also shows this: 44% of men believe that equality policies have gone too far.
In Spain, one of the greatest exponents of “success” in the manosphere is the pseudo financial guru Amadeo Llados, who, with millions of followers on social networks, sells his formula to look like him and have the luxurious life that he seems to lead. In addition to offering master class and organizes macro-events in which participants spend hundreds, sometimes thousands, of euros, he also offers this advice to others in his networks and in his interviews.
Being sexist now regains legitimacy in discourse
Fernando Herranz
— Doctor of Gender Studies
“Everything in this life attracts,” he says in a video in which he explains “how to have a woman of great value.” In other words, if you do not exercise this “attraction,” you will be, in his words, nothing more than a “fucking mileurist” and you’re going to have a “belly.” “What is every man’s dream?” he asks. “The matrix lied to you.” According to him, it’s: “Be fit, have confidence, have the house you want to have, the car you want to have, a great woman by your side, gorgeous, beautiful and supportive.” Again the key to success, for him but also for many others with a growing presence onlineIt comes down to money, going to the gym, perfecting your body and adopting behaviors associated with being “masculine.”
