Over the past 18 months, the “manosphere” has been rocked by a number of controversies. The most notable of all these controversies involves Andrew Tate, a British-American social media personality, businessman, and world-renowned kickboxer. The 36-year-old, one of the most googled men on the planet, is best known for his controversial takes on women’s place in the world.
However, in recent times, Tate, along with his brother, Tristan, has moved to put some distance between himself and the volatility of the manosphere. On Tuesday, June 20th, Romanian prosecutors announced that the internet personality and his brother had been indicted on charges of rape, human trafficking, and forming an organised crime group. As Tate fights to clear his name, another influential figure is attempting to fill his place. Her name is Pearl Davis. Yes, right now, one of the manosphere’s most influential figures happens to be a female — a very controversial one at that.
Davis, a sort of mashup of Tate and Katie Hopkins makes content that is intentionally provocative. Sure, she wants to spread a message. But virality is of prime importance. The more shocking the comment, the better — for her, at least. The fact that the 26-year-old happens to be a young woman rallying against other women – the young and not so young – makes her views extra contentious. With over 160,000 followers on Twitter, 234,000 followers on Instagram, and 1.5 million subscribers on YouTube, Davis has amassed a cult-like following. Her TikTok videos have been viewed hundreds of millions of times. A staunch anti-feminist, Davis presents herself as a novel thinker — but she’s really not. In truth, most of the time she is simply echoing comments made by manosphere influencers that proceeded her, including Rollo Tomassi, the ‘Godfather of the Red Pill,’ Kevin Samuels, an influential thinker who passed away last year, and, of course, Mr. Tate.
It’s not the originality of Davis’s comments that are shocking; it’s the fact that they are coming out of a young woman’s mouth. Davis believes that men should be able to hit women back; she also believes that members of the supposedly fairer sex have it “easier” in society. Davis also believes that obese women don’t deserve to be with high-earning men. The American influencer, currently residing in London, also believes that it’s a woman’s fault if her man is unfaithful. If you are a young woman on OnlyFans, good luck finding a high value man who respects you and wants to start a family with you, she says.
Like Tate, Davis is an excellent troll. Some of her most recent tweets include the question: “What would the world look like if women were mute for 48 hours?”, and, somewhat bizarrely, a call to “banish women.” She knows exactly what to say, when to say it, and how to go viral.
Another recent tweet, “women should just…..endure…..…..,” is a reference to a comment made by Jonathan Hogwood, a truly obnoxious manosphere commentator who has been accused of physically assaulting women and photographing children without their parents’ consent. On an episode of the Whatever podcast, recorded in May, Hogwood smugly insisted that women in physically abusive relationships shouldn’t leave. Instead, he suggested, they should “endure.” Charming!
Davis, who has been referred to as the latest “celebrity misogynist,”, really enjoys discussing the idea of privilege. It’s understandable. After all, she’s very much the product of privilege. Davis grew up in a 10-bedroom house in Chicago with her parents and nine siblings. Rather ironically, Pearl’s mother, very much a proponent of gender equality, served on the board of directors for UN Women USA. In this case, the apple appears to have fallen very far from the tree.
Davis is a proponent of the Red Pill, a philosophy that encourages men and women (but mostly men) to view the world as it really is, for all its beauty and brutality. Intriguingly, some Red Pill enthusiasts appear to resent her success. One of those is the earlier-mentioned Tomassi, who previously referred to her as a “hack.” According to Davis, “he calls her an idiot all the time.” Sadia Khan, a psychologist who has debated Pearl in the past, echoes Tomassi’s sentiments. Khan told me that Davis is “a robotic parrot who has no independent thinking skills. She regurgitates everything Kevin Sammuel says and remains staunch in her opinion even when presented with the evidence to contradict it.” This is because, according to Khan, “she doesn’t have the capacity to form new opinions, only to regurgitate the ones she has learnt of the internet.”
Davis has some controversial takes, and for this very reason, she has no shortage of detractors. However, it’s important to note that Davis has plenty of fans eager for a slice of hard, cold truth.. Although Davis gets certain things wrong, she gets a few things right. For example, Jones has taken aim at the body positivity movement, arguing that people like Lizzo, an obese singer and influencer, glorify fatness. Davis has also rallied against the influence of extreme trans activists, and how their actions affect non-trans members of society. The influencer has also used her YouTube Show, “The Pregame,” to shed some much needed light on the scourge of male suicides in the western world. In short, she occasionally says good things.
I asked Davis if she considers being called the ‘female Andrew Tate’ a complement or an insult. “Andrew Tate is a legend. It’s definitely a compliment,” she responded.
Davis firmly believes that Tate “is right that men and women are different and have different roles in relationships. He is right that men should work hard and become the best version of themselves. He’s right that women should find a men that they love, respect, and admire.”
When asked to explain the Red Pill philosophy, Davis responded in a matter-of-fact manner. It “involves learning the truth about the world,” including the truth “about relationships, politics, and other stuff too,” she said. “For example,” continued Davis, “a lot of guys are sold a Disney fairytale that women like a guy that treats them nice and brings them flowers only to find out that isn’t what modern day women respond to.” In this age of Tinder swiping and short-term flings, Davis has a point. “Bad boys” are very much in fashion. They always were, and always will be. are. As Dr. Michael R. Cunningham, a professor of psychology at the University of Louisville, previously noted, many modern day women desire men who “ooze testosterone.” Higher testosterone, he said, “leads to boldness and is associated with exaggerated sexuality.” Research suggests that ovulating women are often attracted to cads— cunning, manipulative, confident, charming, alpha-like males. In other words, “bad boys.” Evolutionarily speaking, “bad boys” are winners. They are the type of people willing to do just about anything to get ahead – lie, cheat, steal, punish others, etc. From a short-term mating, “survival of the fittest,” “resources are everything” perspective, a “bad boy” becomes a desirable bedfellow. As for the future of the Red Pill space, Davis believes that it will continue to “become more and more mainstream.” “The media will continue to fight it, but you can’t hide what’s true forever,” she affirmed.
Regarding western women, Davis insists that they “need to improve in order for society to improve. Women pass on the culture and traditions from previous generations to the next. Our role is so important and right now women’s culture and legacy is city girls, promiscuity, only fans, and “boss babe” mentality.” Not finished there, Davis continued, “25 percent of us have an STD, 33 percent of us have had an abortion, and 90 percent of us have been on birth control, 70 percent of us are obese, and ass pictures are all over Instagram – even from wives and mothers.” Davis’s stats check out, except for the obesity one. In the UK, 1 in 4 women are obese; the same is true in the US. In Ireland, meanwhile, 55 percent of adults are overweight or obese.
Davis, single but looking for a man, then proceeded to lament the decline of marriage, correctly stating that 70 percent of divorces are filed by women in the US. In fact, when accounting for university-educated females, that number jumps to 90 percent. “All of these stats and yet we wonder why men are walking away from marriages and relationships,” said Davis. “If we want the state of relationships to improve,” suggested the bombastic redhead, “then we as women have to improve; we can get in shape, we can get married, and we can submit to our husbands.” I asked Davis to explain what she meant by “submit.” She quickly pointed me in the direction of Colossians 3:18-25, which states:
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.
Davis, a proud, God-fearing Catholic, firmly believes that every healthy heterosexual relationship is defined by a strong male, a God-like figure respected – even worshiped – by his spouse.
A controversial take, no doubt. But this is who Davis is. She is, in many ways, a connoisseur of controversy. During a recent, heated interview with Ethan Klein, an influential American podcaster, Davis argued, somewhat nonsensically, that women shouldn’t be allowed to vote, and that divorce should be illegal. “I think we should ban divorce, I think that should be banned, yes,” she said. “I just think that if you want to leave, you just shouldn’t get married. That’s just my opinion.”
Klein quickly reminded her that many marriages end because of domestic abuse. He’s right. They do. In the US, domestic abuse accounts for 24 percent of divorce cases.
As for the right to vote, Davis had this to say: “If feminists want the right to vote, right, then it should come with the draft. Where are the feminists fighting for equality in this situation?” Davis, it must be noted, is right that, under US law, men can be drafted to fight. It hasn’t happened for 50 years, and the chances of it happening again any time soon hover somewhere between highly unlikely and never.
Shortly after the rather brutal interview with Klein, Business Insider published a piece insinuating that Davis might not actually believe what she is saying, and that her controversial takes lack any real conviction.
Davis tells me that, contrary to popular belief, she does believe what she says, and that her statements come from a genuine place. Going forward, as her star continues to rise, we should expect to hear many more contentious takes from the Tate-like figure.