Philogyny: Definition, Origin, and How Fake Masculinists Are Hijacking This Word

In our previous article about the real masculinist movement, we concluded with something obvious: words have power. And it’s precisely because fake masculinists understand this that they’re now attacking the vocabulary itself. After trying to taint the term “masculinism,” they’ve now seized a Greek word that literally means “love of women” to do the exact opposite.
Welcome to the Orwellian world of fake “philogynes,” where those who harass women on the street claim to love them. And sadly, this isn’t an isolated case. From the United States to France, Germany, and Spain, the global manosphere is learning to hide behind reassuring words. So to help make sense of this mess, here’s a breakdown of a semantic manipulation strategy that should put all of us on high alert.
Philogyny: True Definition & Etymology
The word philogyny comes from ancient Greek philos (friend, one who loves) and gunē (woman). Literally, it means love, admiration, and respect for women. In short, it’s the exact opposite of misogyny. The term has existed since the 17th century, and its first written record dates back to 1651 according to the Oxford English Dictionary. Originally, a philogynist is simply someone who appreciates women for their intelligence and humanity. And it’s worth noting that there’s nothing sexual about it, nothing predatory. Only respect. Cicero was already referencing this concept in Greek philosophy, where excessively loving women was actually considered a form of imbalance, just like hating them.
In Spanish, the term “filógino” also exists and retains its academic meaning intact. You’ll find it in literary studies about the Renaissance and the Middle Ages, particularly to describe the courtly love movement that placed women on a pedestal. In German and English, “Philogynie” and “philogyny” describe a favorable disposition toward women. Philogyny is therefore a beautiful word. A useful word. A word that could have served as a counterpoint to all the talk about the “battle of the sexes.” Except that in France, a group of fake masculinists decided to hijack it and turn it into the exact opposite.
The French Hijacking: Predators Posing as “Lovers”
In France, a shameless group of street pickup artists has appropriated the term philogyny to mask practices that are pure and simple harassment. Their favorite activity, which they call “badinage” (playful banter), consists of approaching as many women as possible in record time. Followers of this movement treat women as trophies to collect. After their “sessions,” they gather on forums to compare stats: number of rejections, number of phone numbers collected, who has the most “conquests.” This is the polar opposite of the love and respect that the term philogyny is supposed to represent.
And of course, all of this is run by gurus who monetize their followers’ emotional desperation. These “dating coaches” sell programs where consent is entirely optional. Among their advice, you’ll find gems like “to keep a woman close, you need to see other women on the side” or techniques for getting around rejections. The whole thing is dressed up in pseudo-psychological jargon to look serious and justify outrageous prices.
We’ve deliberately chosen not to name these individuals or their organizations. Because unlike some mainstream media outlets that give them free publicity by presenting them as some fascinating social phenomenon, we refuse to feed the beast. These people don’t deserve better search rankings or more visibility. What they deserve is to be exposed for what they are: Harassers who hijacked a beautiful word to try and mask unacceptable and often illegal behavior. Because let’s be clear, harassment is a crime.
A Camouflage Strategy That’s Going Global
The French case is unfortunately not an isolated one. All over the world, the manosphere is trying to make itself presentable by adopting reassuring terms that mask its toxic ideologies. Because even if the word “philogyne” hasn’t crossed borders yet, the same mechanisms of semantic manipulation are already at work elsewhere.
In Canada, researchers studying anti-feminist movements have been identifying this tactic for years. In their work, they describe how masculinist groups regularly adopt a “philogynist” or even pseudo-feminist posture to advance in disguise. Using vocabulary hijacking as camouflage is recognized as a deliberate strategy, even if no group has officially claimed the term like in France. The groundwork is being laid, and it’s probably only a matter of time before the phenomenon becomes more structured.
In Germany, this strategy has a name: “Mimikry,” meaning mimicry. In that country, masculinist organizations give themselves deliberately misleading names like “Forum Soziale Inklusion” (Forum for Social Inclusion) or “Arbeitsgemeinschaft zur Verwirklichung der Geschlechterdemokratie” (Working Group for Achieving Gender Democracy). These names sound progressive, inclusive, almost feminist. But behind the facade, you find the same anti-feminist rhetoric and the same reactionary demands. The Heinrich Böll Foundation has published a detailed analysis of this phenomenon, warning about how difficult it is for the general public, and even institutions, to distinguish these groups from genuine equality organizations.
In the United States, the rebranding is more commercial. Yesterday’s “pickup artists” now call themselves “dating coaches” and sell “self-improvement.” The term “high value man” has replaced the overly loaded image of the “alpha male” to describe the same masculinist ideal. Personal development vocabulary serves as a Trojan horse to push misogynistic concepts under the guise of individual growth.
In Spain, you see the same dynamic with terms like “hombre centrado” (centered man) or “masculinidad positiva” (positive masculinity). Coaches sell programs on “desarrollo masculino” (masculine development) using pop psychology jargon. But scratch the surface and you find the same references to the “red pill,” the same victimhood narrative about men oppressed by feminism, and the same relationship manipulation techniques. Sure, the term “filógino” still exists in its original academic meaning, but for how much longer?
Why Are Fake Masculinists Hiding?
The question is worth asking. If these people were so proud of their beliefs, why would they feel the need to hide behind positive words? Why would a street harasser call himself “a lover of women”? Why would an anti-feminist German group choose to call itself “Forum for Social Inclusion”? Why would a manipulation coach present himself as a “personal development” specialist?
The answer is simple: Because they know perfectly well that their rotten ideas are unsellable as is. Because if they presented themselves honestly, saying for example “we teach men how to harass women on the street” or “we believe feminism is a conspiracy against men,” they would be immediately rejected by a vast majority of people. So they cheat. They wrap their misogyny in words they’ve emptied of meaning, hoping nobody will dig any deeper.
This might seem pretty depressing at first glance, but here’s actually some really good news buried in there. Because this systematic camouflage is a clear sign that they’re losing the cultural battle. Here’s an example to make it crystal clear: Twenty years ago, an “alpha male” could proudly strut around as such. But today, even the most toxic among them feel the need to dress up as sheep. Which means the light makes them scatter like cockroaches.
That doesn’t mean the fight is won, though. Because unfortunately, these camouflage strategies still work too often. Largely because mainstream media falls into the trap, whether intentionally or not, by giving them a platform. And because some institutions sometimes fund organizations with misleading names without checking what’s actually behind them. Vigilance remains absolutely necessary to prevent young men who are searching for direction from getting sucked in by rhetoric that can seem coherent on the surface.
At NovaFuture We Never Let Words Be Twisted From Their Meaning
I’m a writer. I love words, their precision, their history, and their power. So I’m perfectly aware that when you let vocabulary be corrupted, you lose far more than a semantic battle. Because in reality, you’re ceding ground to those who want to manipulate the narrative. Orwell understood perfectly that fascism doesn’t start with brute force but with the corruption of language. For instance, when “war” becomes “special operation,” when “torture” becomes “enhanced interrogation,” when “love of women” becomes “street harassment,” it’s rational thought itself that gets murdered.
So let’s not kid ourselves. What we’re witnessing with the hijacking of the word philogynism is part of a much larger movement. And an especially dangerous one at a time when some are trying to rehabilitate history’s worst figures. Case in point: we’re seeing the resurgence of rhetoric trying to convince us that we just didn’t understand Hitler’s, Stalin’s, Mussolini’s, or Franco’s “genius.” Case in point again: we’re witnessing grotesque attempts to transform reactionary propagandists like Charlie Kirk into progressive icons. Clearly, history hasn’t served as a lesson on any large scale, and the same falsification mechanisms keep repeating, generation after generation.
So here’s where we stand, and this is non-negotiable! At NovaFuture, twisting words to make them mean the opposite, whitewashing history to soften fascism, stealing a magnificent term to cover up disgusting practices… we take that as a declaration of war. And so the message we’re sending to all these fake masculinists hiding behind stolen words is this: Find yourselves other labels that actually fit your state of mental decay. For example: “Voluntary Regressive,” “Proud Harasser,” or “Shameful Misogynist” would be much more honest tags. Because at some point, manipulators of all stripes need to understand clearly that they should leave the beautiful words to those who deserve them. As for all of you reading this, whether in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, or elsewhere: Stay vigilant! When someone uses a term that sounds too good to be true, scratch the surface. Look closely at what’s behind the rhetoric. And if you discover a cockroach pretending to be a butterfly, just turn on the light and watch it run.
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