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From Incels to Femcels: The Femosphere on Reddit
Spring 2025
”The best projects come out of you wanting to learn more.”
Brittany Melton, a FIMS PhD in Media Studies candidate, is exploring how gender discourse in the subreddit r/FemaleDatingStrategy reinforces conservative notions of femininity and contributes to transphobia on Reddit.
Although Reddit was founded by men and remains a male-dominated platform, Melton is interested in how women are carving out spaces for community and identity online and how those communities develop in reaction to the concept of the "Manosphere" where groups identifying themselves as incels, or pick-up artists flourish.
Prior to arriving at Western, Melton graduated from Brock University with a master of arts degree in popular culture. It was during that time that she discovered her passion for studying the performance and representation of gender on television. Since beginning her PhD at Western, her focus has shifted from looking at how gender is performed in television media to how it manifests in digital spaces, particularly within online communities on platforms like Reddit.
She is especially interested in how women perceive and express their own gender identity in these environments. Her research centres on subreddits within the “Femosphere,” including groups identifying themselves as Femcels, Pink Pill Women, Gender Critical Women, and Women Going Their Own Way.
These groups vary in size and ideology. The subreddit FemaleDatingStrategy, for example, had over 240,000 users in 2023 and offers dating advice with a focus on self-empowerment—but it is a space that many commentators believe is rooted in misandry.
Melton's research is supervised by Associate Professor and FIMS Associate Dean Susan Knabe.
