Andrew Tate and His Perspective on Balkan Women is Bullshit
When Will We Stop Promoting Toxic Masculinity?
For the past year, Andrew Tate built his own army of teenage boys and men, who support him and his problematic antics. It is also well known that Tate praises eastern Europe like it is his golden child. He has moved there, constantly commending the region for its women, lifestyle and safety. But as an eastern European woman, I am sick of hearing about him.
In 2022, Tate amassed millions of followers across Tik Tok, Instagram and Twitter. He was inescapable on social media, spouting his radical views and promoting the objectivity of women and the men’s superior narrative. In an interview with the BFFs podcast, Tate said that a woman who sees herself as equal to a man would be “the exact kind of woman that I would never give my time of day to.”
I cannot deny that his praise of eastern Europe is mainly positive. He has complimented the region’s safety, lifestyle, mindset and women on several occasions. However, the constant attention he puts on eastern Europe is not completely heartening.
For me, eastern Europe is its breathtaking mountains and monasteries, my family and my childhood memories, delicious food and our endless culture and folklore. Having that tainted by Tate and his foul self will always get me riled up. Eastern Europe should not be associated with an alleged rapist, whose leaked voice messages caught him saying “I love raping you”. Eastern European women should not be associated with someone who belittles women and has admitted to moving to Romania just so he could benefit from the country's deep-rooted corruption and get away with his crimes.
I will not accept being told how women in my country behave by a person that has such a long history of female abuse and problematic statements. His behaviour is sadly excused and validated still to this day. Meanwhile, the women who have suffered at his hand, or women in similar situations, have been completely disregarded and pushed aside by both the media and the public.
Tate's online influential stronghold further antagonized me when I read on Twitter: “Andrew Tate is a feminist fighting for women's rights in poor eastern European Nations.” Not only is this idea ludicrous, but it is degrading. Assuming and implying that Tate has even remotely tried to protect, uplift or empower Balkan girls and respects them is ridiculous. A person accused of pyramid schemes, webcam scams and sex trafficking cannot and will not protect women.
“Eastern European girls are harder to get,” said Tate in interviews. “But if you get them, they are better quality.” It makes my blood boil—it comes with impunity and lacks any mention of the inequality between men and women.
I am tired of the fetishizing of eastern European girls. We are more than obedient wives who would let you cheat, cook for you, take over all household responsibilities and let you run freely.
“If a Romanian girl wants to be a slut, she does it for money,” Tate said in a James English interview. “If she is not then she is extremely hard to sleep with.” He speaks about us as if we are a product to acquire. The generalization, objectification and sexualization of girls should not be normalized, no matter their origins.
Women in the Balkan peninsula are strong, independent and smart. They would not let this behaviour slip, especially the newer generation. From a young age, our mothers teach us how to be responsible and self-reliant. Hearing Tate reduce women to housewives and obedient playthings is something I could never stand behind.
Seeing men around the world follow him blindly and preach his rhetorics breaks my heart. Instead of going forward as a society, some preach backward ideas that drag us all down. It is no secret that eastern Europe is more conservative—however, promoting misogyny on a worldwide scale will have a negative impact on women and their relationships with men. The constant promotion of misogyny will purely encourage dehumanization and violence toward women. Women are not the only ones affected though; according to a 2019 study conducted by The National Center for Biotechnology Information, men who are sexist are more likely to have mental health issues and lack self-confidence.
Sadly, Tate was not and will not be the last man that thinks in this old-fashioned manner. Growing up I heard similar ideologies—that is why Tate’s rise to fame did not surprise me.
Tate's take on eastern Europe is one that overlooks the existing denunciation of a corrupt judicial and political system in the region. Tate himself exemplifies and promotes the ways the system does little to protect women, including the ones he has himself hurt.
Like it or not, Andrew Tate has influenced the world. With his recent arrest and trial in Romania, the world seems a bit brighter. As much as I am sick of hearing about him, it is time to learn from his horrendous behaviour and hold people accountable.
_600_375_90_s_c1.jpg)