Soy boy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Soy milk

Soy boy is a pejorative term often used in online communities to describe men lacking masculine characteristics. The term bears many similarities and has been compared to the slang terms cuck and low-T ("low testosterone") – two other terms popularly used as an insult for male femininity by online communities.[1][2]

The term is based on the presence of phytoestrogen contained within soybeans, which have led some to misleadingly conclude that soy products feminize men who consume them.

History[]

Soy products contain high amounts of phytoestrogens.[3][4] As they are structurally similar to estradiol (the major female sex hormone) and have activity at the estrogen receptor, concerns have been raised that it may act as an endocrine disruptor that adversely affects health.[4] While there is some evidence that phytoestrogens may affect male fertility, "further investigation is needed before a firm conclusion can be drawn".[5] Several review studies have indeed not found any effect of phytoestrogens on sperm quality[6] or testosterone levels.[5]

This term first appeared as an insult in popular culture in 2008 in a music video featuring Katy Perry at the timestamp 2:34.[7] The earliest archived use of the term soyboy as a pejorative on 4chan was submitted to a thread on the /tv/ (television & film) board on April 18, 2017.[8]

Usage[]

The term is often used as an epithet by internet trolls, a vast majority of which are right-wing.[9] It is often targeted at perceived social justice warriors, vegans,[10] "liberals", and similar groups.[11] At the conclusion of the 2018–2019 United States federal government shutdown, people on the internet, especially on Twitter, started calling US President Donald Trump a soy boy or a cuck.[12] The term has also been used in online debates about the fashion appeal of cargo shorts.[13]

Public perception[]

Mic published an op-ed by writer Chris Caesar titled "How 'soy boy' became the alt-right's new favorite insult".[14] Also on October 27 2017, The Daily Dot published an article titled "'Soy boys' is the far-right's newest favorite insult".[15]

YouTuber Hbomberguy created a video entitled "THE SOY BOY DIET" in 2017, in which he tried soy products for a period of time in order to attempt to debunk claims made about soy.[16]

After UFC Vegas 11 in September 2020, UFC fighter Colby Covington made disparaging reference to Nate Diaz's "soy boy diet"; Diaz is a vegan.[17][18]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Hosie, Rachel. "Soy Boy: What is this new online insult used by the far right?". The Independent.
  2. ^ "An Anatomy of the Soy Boy". New Socialist.
  3. ^ Thompson, Lilian U.; Boucher, Beatrice A.; Liu, Zhen; Cotterchio, Michelle; Kreiger, Nancy (June 17, 2006). "Phytoestrogen content of foods consumed in Canada, including isoflavones, lignans, and coumestan". Nutrition and Cancer. 54 (2): 184–201. doi:10.1207/s15327914nc5402_5. PMID 16898863. S2CID 60328.
  4. ^ a b Rietjens I. M. C. M., Louisse J., Beekmann K. (June 2017). "The potential health effects of dietary phytoestrogens". British Journal of Pharmacology. 174 (11): 1263–1280. doi:10.1111/bph.13622. PMC 5429336. PMID 27723080.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  5. ^ a b Cederroth C. R., Auger J., Zimmermann C., Eustache F., Nef S. (2010). "Soy, phyto-oestrogens and male reproductive function: a review". International Journal of Andrology. 33 (2): 304–316. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2605.2009.01011.x. PMID 19919579.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  6. ^ Messina, Mark (May 1, 2010). "Soybean isoflavone exposure does not have feminizing effects on men: a critical examination of the clinical evidence". Fertility and Sterility. 93 (7): 2095–2104. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2010.03.002. PMID 20378106.
  7. ^ "Katy Perry - Ur So Gay". Youtube. April 3, 2008.
  8. ^ Castrodale, Jelisa (September 19, 2018). "A Brief History of Jerks Using Tofu-Eating as an Insult".
  9. ^ "Are you a soy boy?". Metro. October 28, 2017.
  10. ^ Cunningham, Brent (18 September 2019). "Plant-based meat and the knock-down, drag-out fight for the American diet". Vox. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  11. ^ Reynolds, George (October 25, 2019). "Why do people hate vegans?" – via www.theguardian.com.
  12. ^ "Everyone thinks Trump is a 'cuck' for caving on shutdown". The Daily Dot. January 25, 2019.
  13. ^ Jennings, Rebecca (April 18, 2019). "The latest debate on right-wing Twitter: are cargo shorts for 'real men' or 'soy boys?'". Vox.
  14. ^ Caesar, Chris. "How 'soy boy' became the alt-right's favorite new insult". Mic.
  15. ^ "'Soy boys' is the far-right's newest favorite insult". The Daily Dot. October 27, 2017.
  16. ^ "Nebula". watchnebula.com.
  17. ^ "Fact checking Colby Covington's controversial UFC Vegas 11 post-fight statements". September 21, 2020.
  18. ^ McCaugherty, Stephen (September 21, 2020). "UFC's Nate Diaz Challenged: 'I'll Take His Life'".
Retrieved from ""