With Andrew Tate imprisoned in a Romanian jail, you would hope that the internet would be pressed to find a replacement for him. However, another anti-feminist misogynist influencer has already filled his position. Unlike Tate, this influencer is a woman. Hannah Pearl Davis, known as just Pearl, is a 26-year-old YouTube creator who has amassed a massive following in the past few months. Clips from her YouTube channel regularly go viral on TikTok, despite her account being banned several times. She talks about somewhat similar topics as Tate and parrots the same misogynistic, anti-feminist rhetoric as him. Worryingly, she appears to be reinforcing his legacy and spreading her toxic opinions further than he ever did.
Pearl’s content has attracted Tate’s fans and newcomers, as her subscriber count has jumped from 800,000 to 1.3 million. She hosts a podcast-like show called The Pregame on YouTube, parroting many of Tate’s opinions on women. Her brand hinges on the fact she is a ‘rare’ variety of woman who advocates for men. Despite being banned from TikTok, clips from The Pregame go viral frequently, only giving her more attention and followers. Furthermore, her subscriber count on YouTube is almost twice as large as the 700,000 Andrew Tate had before he was banned. Although she is a copy-paste female version of Andrew Tate, the sheer amount of attention and praise she receives for promoting such toxic beliefs is alarming.
Pearl promotes the same toxic misogynistic rhetoric that Andrew Tate does
If you’ve been exposed to Andrew Tate’s content, you’ll instantly recognize his views in Pearl’s. Some of her most viral ‘takes’ on women include saying women have it ‘easier’ in society, they don’t deserve to be with a well-paid partner if they’re overweight, and it’s a woman’s fault if a man cheats on her. Women are entirely responsible for unwanted pregnancies. She promotes the idea that men are discriminated against and that feminism has gone too far. In her opinion, western women have become undesirable as they no longer fit the restrictive gender roles of a pre-second-wave feminist society. Feminism is the enemy, as it has turned society into one that favors women over men. Pearl denies that her views are misogynistic. However, her opinions are text-book misogyny.
Most disturbingly, an overwhelming percentage of the comments on her YouTube videos agree with and praise these views. Men applaud Pearl’s anti-feminist takes, saying they’re glad a woman is on their side. Women also comment, saying how Pearl’s videos have helped them become ‘better’ women. There is a less visible and lower-level backlash against Pearl than against Andrew Tate. Fewer people are opposing her misogyny because she is a woman.
Misogyny is misogyny no matter who is spreading it
Just as Andrew Tate’s views have had a severe impact on men and women, Pearl’s views are doing the same. Pearl expresses a lot of internalized misogyny, as she prides herself on shaming other women. She gets away with promoting misogyny because she is a woman, and people think a woman couldn’t be misogynistic. This has led to more people ‘trusting’ or believing what she says. Men who watch her videos will accept her views as valid ways to look at women solely because she is a woman. Other women who watch her might try to adopt her views because they ‘trust’ a woman saying these things more than a man. But misogyny is misogyny regardless of who is promoting it. And misogyny affects everyone, not just regardless of gender.
