The Rise of the 'Sigma Male', a New Kind of Toxic Masculinity

This article originally appeared on VICE France.

Most videos are edits of some of the movie’s most iconic scenes, including his morning routine and his dinner with frenemy-turned-victim Paul Allen. Bateman is dissected and revered as a lifestyle model that mostly boils down to getting money and hot women without any of the strings attached.

For those who need a recap, American Psycho tells the story of Bateman, a golden boy banker who basically succeeds in everything he does, despite slowly sinking into madness as he murders people. Based on Bret Easton Ellis’s book of the same name, its crude and graphic violent scenes all but guaranteed controversy - not that it's stopped people from turning Bateman into an idol.

No shit: Men online are more lost than ever, to the point of turning an actual psychopathic killer into a point of reference. Bateman is hailed for not conforming to the models of masculinity that’ve arisen on the web 2.0. He’s neither an alpha (a dominant asshole at the top of the social hierarchy) nor a beta (a submissive loner who’ll never get a girl). Bateman represents a new model of masculinity: The “sigma male”, inexplicably named with another random ancient Greek letter.

According to Google trends, the “sigma male” search term first appeared in early 2021 and quickly gained popularity over the past two years. In 2023, #sigma has over 46 billion views on TikTok. Sigmas “are known as the rarest males on earth, which makes them irresistible to women,” says TikToker Sel Nakim in an explainer video with almost 900,000 likes. “They’re at the top with the alphas, but they’re outside the hierarchy.” 

Instead of boasting about their status like alphas, sigmas tend to be mysterious loner types. They think outside the box; they accept themselves and are proud to be different. They attract success and respect. Basically, they’re perfect. And Bateman – a man sophisticated enough to wear a suit to murder a homeless person – is their aesthetic king.

“I didn’t know about sigmas until I came across the videos about Bateman a few months ago,” says Fred, 26. “I can understand why people think it’s disturbing that our role model is a serial killer, but what inspires us is everything else about Patrick Bateman. It’s just fiction.”

Before Fred fell down the sigma content wormhole, he was watched personal development videos on YouTube and TikTok, and discovered his favourite role models in the lead characters of Peaky Blinders, Mad Men and, of course, American Psycho. “They know where they want to go and they’re a bit different from other people,” he says. “They aren’t popular – they’re a bit like me.”

But film critics debate the sigma interpretation of Bateman’s character. In the movie, the identity of the Wall Street banker is a lot more complex. Although Bateman’s bloodlust is largely seen as a critique of capitalist greed, the character is also enthralled by consumerism and power. He might have antisocial tendencies, but he also constantly seeks validation from others and is terrified at the idea of losing his social status. 

Besides, the core message of this boys’ club is sadly familiar – life is a permanent struggle between those who dominate and those who are dominated. Sigmas are still falling for the same narrative - they're just trying to cheat-code their way to the top with cunning strategies and supposedly independent thinking. They long for a world where men are in charge and their communities are filled with misogynistic and homophobic exchanges. 

But if the internet has taught us anything, it’s not to look for meaning in the shitposting world. Much of the content about Bateman is also to be taken lightly – most people just use it as motivation to go to the gym or dress well. The people who take his character seriously are in the minority, and might havefound other avenues for their anxieties. (I mean, you’d hope.)

Back when the movie was released, poor Christian Bale struggled to believe it when a bunch of bankers un-ironically told him they loved the movie. Let’s just hope he hasn’t downloaded TikTok yet.