In our search for alpha males at San Rafael High School, we discovered no one quite fit the ideals of an “alpha.” Though not surprising, because alpha male culture is almost impossible to achieve for the average teenage boy. We were also unsuccessful, partially, because the idea of a sigma/alpha culture has long been left behind as a “cringe” trend. However, we don’t believe it’s been forgotten. 

To understand the world of a teenage boy we need to step into the realm of male motivation content. This doesn’t only consist of grueling morning routines, meditation, and gym hype, but also helps you talk to a “female” in a “manly” way. 

A famous slogan for these hype tutorials is “be that guy.” There’s a big emphasis on independence and going through struggles by yourself. Trending podcast host Joe Rogan has become a prominent figure for male motivation. Listening to him, it makes sense why people rely on others to discipline them and feed into male motivation. On our youtube discovery on alpha advice, we came across a similar pattern. The cinematic music and slideshow of male alpha icons like Andrew Garfield and Muhammed Ali, give a sense of belonging and community. It’s attractive and satisfactory media that’s easy to consume and obsess over. 

There’s no doubt that culture has reached many adolescent boys including those at San Rafael High School. A general census was that this trend was popular during middle school and left there. But what happens to all that information that has been fed to these teenagers? Is it slowly forgotten about? Do kids grow out of it? Freshman Teddy (who did not want to use his last name) says “not really, not anymore”  

Most of the students we interviewed were taken by surprise about our topic. It was like we were opening an old shoe box of secrets deep in the closets of their minds. The freshmen especially were trying to suppress their giggles and smirks. Most of them were either uninterested or kept their responses as neutral as possible. There were even those who did not look our way at least once. This was the common theme for most of the freshman interviewees which made it difficult to even get a common consensus. There was a constant question: Do they really believe in this “culture”? 

Edinson Diaz, a freshman at San Rafael High School says, “I’ve heard about it and I think it’s a joke. I find it a joke but I don’t know how others would find it. I think kids from my grade take it kinda seriously and think it’s real for them.” When we continued our interviews, we noticed that the next 3 freshmen proved Edinson right. Teddy glanced at the two other boys being interviewed for what seems like reassurance. They let out a little smile and continue to answer the questions. We see this kind of behavior reflected on all the students in different grades at SRHS. The leaning on the wall, the avoiding eye contact, are shown to be consistent among all grades. However, the seniors are less hesitant to answer than the younger students. 

Andrew Tate, former professional kickboxer, gained thousands of supporters on social media through his perspective on masculinity. He is known for flaunting a luxurious lifestyle and rose to popularity for disrespecting women. In an article by BBC written in 2025 about influencer Andre Tate, it is reported, “In an interview with another YouTuber, he said he was “absolutely a misogynist”, and added: “I’m a realist and when you’re a realist, you’re sexist. There’s no way you can be rooted in reality and not be sexist. “In that same video, he described women as “intrinsically lazy” and said there was “no such thing as an independent female.” Reading this came to us as a surprise. We thought about how unusual it was for someone with such hateful views on women to possibly gain so many supporters. However, viewing how students are continuously adapting to trends and growing their beliefs through social media, we can see the pattern of this growing toxic masculinity. Andrew Tate is used as an outlet for teenagers to express their true belief in how they view women in society. 

Contrary to any beliefs you might’ve had before, alphas and sigmas are not the same. While “sigma” refers to a lonely but self-sufficient independent man, an “alpha” is dominant in his relationships and friend groups. Betas are the counterparts to alphas, they’re the “sheep.” While sigmas do prefer to be isolated and value their independence, they don’t fall under the antisocial group. Sigmas choose independence, but will participate in social events when it’s convenient and enjoyable for them. 

Sigmas have gained a significant amount of popularity being that they are the rivals to the alphas. A sigma’s solitary beliefs contradict the dominant leader behavior of an Alpha. The internet has been the cultivator of this new desired personality. Some “sigma” icons include John Wick, Batman, and 2013 Peaky Blinders Thomas Shelby. Their personages capture the essence of what a sigma is. They’re all self-reliant and rarely confide in the help of others. Emotional isolation is a big aspect to sigmas, which is also one of the attractive characteristics for young boys. 

As a viewer of Peaky Blinders myself, main character Thomas Shelby encapsulates the loneliness and harm of being prideful. Although he has a family who is more than understanding and helpful, he seldom shares any personal feelings besides rage. Polly Grey, Shelby’s aunt, is an intelligent woman, integral to their organization, yet her insights and advice are set aside by Shelby. The show does a great job of demonstrating the cause and effects of selfish desires and ambitions without the consultation of others. As the story progresses, Thomas’ character is no longer appealing and admirable. 

However, Thomas Shelby has quickly become an icon to the sigma movement. His main appeal being his mysterious independent, successful life. Having icons is not necessarily a bad thing. We’ve all looked up to somebody at some point in our lives. Especially as teenagers we are easily impressed because of our search for identity. In an interview with Vanessa Lopez, a psychotherapist, she says, “Identity development is such a huge part of adolescence. Teens are in the process of figuring out who they are, and social media provides constant exposure to role models/influencers, trends, and social norms that influence/impact that process.” 

People always refer to the teenage brains as “sponges” because they are absorbing information and constantly maturing. This period of youth subjects teenagers into difficult social settings which mold their responses to conflicts in their lives. Discovering your identity can be intimidating, especially for young boys who have likes Lopez says, “societal pressures” to be strong. Lopez says, “Whether it’s in friend groups, within family or even social media, there’s often this unspoken rule that being vulnerable or expressing certain emotions makes you weak, which can make it hard for them to fully express themselves or even ask for help.” 

The alpha boom was primarily around the time of the Covid 19 pandemic. Sophomore Will Healy recalls when he first got social media, post covid, “This is when Andrew Tate kind of went viral.” Which makes us question if isolation made boys need male companions more than ever which led to the boom. Given what Vanessa Lopez said about the search for identity, discovering who you were during a pandemic is an unconventional way that was new to these students. 

“People are influenced by what they see online and they wanna thrive to be them, but it can also not be so realistic for most people who wanna do that. I feel like it’s more towards a younger audience,” explains Teddy about the appeal of alpha trends. Though the glamorous lifestyle is one many desire, it can disillusion young boys into believing that they’ll be a part of that 1% of people who are wealthy. It discourages them from going to college and getting sturdy careers. 

While students should be encouraged to follow their dreams, is it okay to assure them that they’ll have the same outcomes as people like Andrew Tate? 

Scrolling through Instagram feeds, you have probably seen a man standing in front of a 200,000 lamborghini or maybe in front of a multi million home. These photos are typically posted on Instagram along with other exaggerated photos showing off luxury. Men, like Andrew Tate, profit off of the idea that men can have this type of lifestyle with hard work and competitiveness within businesses. Businesses are considered “manly” because businesses root from nothing and can become extremely successful. Young teenage boys grab onto this idea and stray away from careers and post secondary education. 

“There’s some people that need time and effort. The great stories that I’ve heard have always come from deep rock bottom and they have worked themselves up. And that’s what I really think is cool because they have stories that have inspiration towards their business and have true meaning towards it. 
And I think this whole alpha culture is more of a flexing manner, saying that, oh, I have all this money and that’s why I’m like this,” says Adan Gomez, senior at San Rafael High School. He explains that there is a need for motivation and courage to create a business to be proud of. Alpha male culture furthers the idea of starting a business with the addition of toxic characteristics like boasting. By spreading the idea that men can have it easy with simply starting business, it denies teenage boys the time to explore their academic opportunities. 

Tik Tok has become a popular app where videos have a heavy influence on how boys act. Feed algorithms in social media decide which posts appear on your phone based on the videos you like and the videos you find most interest in. If someone keeps watching and liking videos about cats, then more videos of cats will appear than any other content. Algorithm enhances the chance of boys getting easily hooked on videos that describe men as being dominant. 

When we interviewed Ever DeLeon, sophomore at San Rafael High School, we asked him if he had ever felt a sort of dominance in his friend group. He laughed and replied, “No we’re all the same”. Later when asked if he knew of anyone that had these characteristics that are considered “alpha traits” he quickly named a few students one of which  was Mario Gomez, also a sophomore at SRHS. 

Mario Gomez stood in front of us with a straight posture while affirming eye contact. Every time we asked a question, he replied with a straight face and a “yes/no” or an “I don’t know.” We didn’t get many answers from him as expected but his interaction and body gave us enough. In fact, during school lunch, we saw him from a distance with his friend group in a sort of triangle, with him in the very front. 

Vanessa Lopez says, “Children often go to parents/guardians/caregivers to serve as a source of guidance. Seeing how caregivers navigate situations, such as the way they treat others, handle conflict, or talk about others impacts the perspective that their child may have. This serves as the first source and understanding of what children consider to be “right” and “wrong.” Parents are crucial for the social development of teen boys. If children observe their parent treating others a certain way, they grow up to do the same, sometimes without even noticing. 

“Yeah my dad likes Real Madrid so I guess that’s why I like the team too,” says Ever Deleon. He talks about how his father was never a huge influence in his Hispanic household. However, standing next to him is Mario, who hasn’t had a father figure in his life and tells us he never looked up to anyone except for those on social media. 

However, as maturity levels rise throughout high school, there is a significant difference in the way boys perceive their relationships.

Edinson Cifuentes explains, “I think there’s kids my age that idolize Andrew Tate because of his advice to younger generations. They look up to him. He shows he’s confident, strong, and takes action.” For Cifuentes, his parents have had a greater influence on his identity.  Adan adds, “I mean, if I’m being honest, I feel like everyone learns their own way, depending on how their parents were growing up. Personally, my dad was always like the person who would help my mother do a lot of things. So I really grew up to like helping and rather, like I help a lot in the house.”

“Alpha culture” may promote gender norms that make it harder for boys to express their true emotions. Teenage years are considered vulnerable years because it is a time for children to develop their self identities and characteristics. Within this timeframe, social media has a huge impact on their sense of belonging. Children who are unhappy within themselves tend to rely on social media as a result of insecurity. The alpha concept exposes young men to take a deeper dive into misogynistic and male supremacist beliefs. 

Rigid gender norms discourage emotional vulnerability that can lead to the effect of forming healthy relationships. While in a romantic relationship, dominance inhibits aggression and it becomes harder to develop a healthy relationship over time. This is the case for friendships as well. In teenage boys, this can create a toxic environment for their social life. If teenage boys feel that their emotions are a sign of weakness, they may fear building a community.