Part 4 - The (Pseudo-)Science of Male Classification

Monday, August 31, 2026

Happy Monday, my friends! After three weeks on vulnerability and discussions about how I’ve seen myself as a Queer man in relation to masculinity and masculine people, I want to pivot a bit to how media both helps and hurts people construct their ideas of gender. Many of us have heard for decades about the overt effects of media which crop, decrease, airbrush, enlarge, and embellish the features of models and public figures to achieve supposed ideals of “beauty.” Whether we know it in this language, most people can imagine examples of the ways these ideals have changed and how cultural differences impact what is considered “beautiful.” But those ideals have nearly always been constructed for women, often either as a means to reduce their power or as a product of their being kept out of power. The ideal man, across cultures, races, religions, and time has consistently been athletic, muscled, tan, domineering, and powerful.

I can’t remember exactly when I first encountered male classifications or in what dark corner of the internet I found it (this was before Joe Rogan and the manosphere), but I read that first example with interest, trying to accurately place myself in its fairly rigid categories. From scholars utilizing empirical data to random people posting their opinions, people have tried to classify men in many ways. One of the most prevalent systems utilizes categories based on Greek letters: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Sigma, and Omega. Yes, each system seems to arrange these letters differently (most don’t know enough Greek to recognize that gamma, not delta, is the third letter of the Greek alphabet), and, yes, what actual research is applied largely originated with wolves. Some classifications function like the Enneagram[1], MBTI[2], or other personality profiles where each type has both positive and negative traits. Others deride supposed “omega males” as “losers” for rejecting expectations while praising “alpha males” as “captains of industry,” but ignoring their manipulative and destructive behaviors. In the end and analogous to the ways it oppresses women and nonbinary people, these systems are rooted in patriarchy which tells men, particularly young men, that to be successful and powerful they need to look, act, and carry themselves in ways that lack any basis in science or reality.

As I’ve been writing and publishing this series of Monday Moments, I was surprised to receive messages from multiple heterosexual men who saw their own insecurities in my reflections. They too told stories of wanting to fit into the group and the pain of being rejected by groups of men even while sharing the same sexual orientation, gender identity, and overall gender expression. The unfortunate reality remains that the privilege of patriarchy is afforded at a terrible cost.

How have your experiences aligned or missed alignment with expectations for your gender identity? How have you made sense of those misalignments?

Let us pray: “O God, the Creator and Preserver of all mankind, we humbly beseech thee for all sorts and conditions of men; that thou wouldest be pleased to make thy ways known unto them, thy saving health unto all nations. More especially we pray for thy holy Church universal; that it may be so guided and governed by thy good Spirit, that all who profess and call themselves Christians may be led into the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of spirit, in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life. Finally, we commend to thy fatherly goodness all those who are any ways afflicted, or distressed, in mind, body, or estate; that it may please thee to comfort and relieve them, according to their several necessities; giving them patience under their sufferings, and a happy issue out of all their afflictions. And this we beg for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.”[3]

Blessings on your weeks, my friends! Let me know if there is anything I can do for you.

Faithfully,

Ben +

[1] If you’re an Enneagram person, I’m a 1w2. What type are you?

[2] Myers Briggs Type Indicator (I’m an INFJ-T/ENFJ-T)

[3] Book of Common Prayer 1979.