Zeta male refers to a perspective and way of being male that positions itself outside of the usual hierarchical model of masculinity based on Alpha male (top), Beta male (second) and Omega male (lowest). Unlike the foregoing, the Zeta Male’s orientation is not based on a hierarchical classification of men as valued by women.^[1][2][3][4]

Description [edit]

According to most sources the Zeta male:

a. Refuses to identify with alpha/beta male stereotypes
b. Rejects gynocentric expectations
b. Says no to unreasonable aspects of traditionalism
c. Champions male self-determination
d. Refuses to be shamed, seduced or intimidated into submission
e. Involves creative social engagement in contrast nihilistic withdrawal ^{[5][6][7][8][9][10][11]}

History [edit]

The term was coined by men’s rights advocate Paul Elam in March 2010:

“As previously noted, the men’s movement is a unique and literally unprecedented phenomena. It will bring with it some other firsts. One of them is the socio-sexual warrior, and I refer to him for the purpose of this discourse as the zeta male. The tag remains faithful to the Greek alphabet classification of the other three types of men, but there is more purpose to the label. I took it from the star Zeta Persei. I liked the navigational metaphor of the star as it is applicable in the context of the lost generation. But I was also intrigued to learn that Persei is a variation of Perseus, the first of the Greek mythological heroes…

[The Zeta male] has no allegiance to tradition or nostalgia for the past, and in fact is charged with plotting a new course. He cannot be shamed into control or intimidated into silence or seduced into capitulation. He doesn’t fit in the classic hierarchy, and would gladly bring it down in the name of his cause. When someone says he needs to act like a real man, he smiles and says, “No, thank you.”

He cares about those lost young men who were ambushed coming out of the womb. And he will strive to make himself an example, living proof that there are other roads to take than the ones that lead to self-hatred and self-destruction.”^[12][13]

The similar concepts ‘Zeta male’ and ‘Men Going Their Own Way (MGTOW)‘ are often compared on the basis that they both promote male self-determination,^[14] however they differ in their promotion of social withdrawal (MGTOW) vs social engagement (Zeta male), and also in regard to the value of male hierarchical categories of Alpha, Beta and Omega which Zeta philosophy explicitly rejects.^[15]

Social withdrawal / social engagement [edit]

Zeta males and MGTOW champion non-gynocentric masculinities and male self-determination. However, MGTOW has evolved to become associated with a rejection of intimate relationships with women (including marriage), and a permanent retreat and disengagement from society and its expectations. Critics of the MGTOW tendency toward disengagement claim it promotes a higher potential for isolation, nihilism, depression and suicide.^[16][17]

Founder of the concept Paul Elam qualifies Zeta in the following way:

“I’ve seen many people in the last decade read it (Zeta) as meaning detachment and indifference. And all along it was just the opposite.^[18]

Unlike MGTOW, the Zeta male concept is not based on social withdrawal, nor on the status of being married or not married, or on being in a relationship with women, and is based solely on the refusal to self-identify with the Alpha, Beta and Omega male categories, and the decision to engage with the world on that basis.^[19][20]

References [edit]

1. Urban Dictionary: Zeta Male, (2010)
2. What is an Alpha Male?, WiseGeek
3. Beta and Omega, Wikipedia
4. Omega Males and the Women Who Hate Them, Slate
5. The Plague of Modern Masculinity, A Voice for Men, (2010)
6. Peter Wright, Bye bye Alpha Male, and hello Zeta Male!, A Voice for Men, January 2015
7. Zeta male, So What is a Zeta Male Anyway?, A Voice for Men, (2011)
8. Cooterbee, Defining and Implementing Zeta Masculinity, A Voice for Men, (2011)
9. Masked Writer, Definition of a Zeta Male, (2012)
10. Alan’s Page: A new discovery – the Zeta male, (2013)
11. Andy Thomas, A Reflection on Zeta Male vs MGTOW, Feb 2019
12. Paul Elam, The Plague of Modern Masculinity, Youtube Video, March 2010
13. Paul Elam, The Plague of Modern Masculinity, A Voice for Men, (2010)
14. Peter Wright, Bye bye Alpha Male, and hello Zeta Male!, A Voice for Men, January 2015
15. Paul Elam, The Plague of Modern Masculinity, A Voice for Men, (2010)
16. Andy Thomas, Nihilism and Beyond for the Zeta Male, 2018
17. Andy Thomas, A Reflection on Zeta Male vs MGTOW, Feb 2019
18. Paul Elam, Comment under Andy Thomas article A Reflection on Zeta Male vs MGTOW, Feb 2019
19. Andy Thomas, Nihilism and Beyond for the Zeta Male, 2018
20. Andy Thomas, A Reflection on Zeta Male vs MGTOW, Feb 2019