life & style // no. 16 theotherpress.ca

Roosh V,

Return of Kings,
and neomasculinity

> A brief overview of what all the fuss was about

Rebecca Peterson
Staff Writer

 

ust over a week ago, the
Internet experienced a

minor explosion. This time,
it was over the organization
of supposed “pro-rape rallies”
worldwide, a product of a
large neomasculine online
community called Return of
Kings. Further investigation
revealed that these were not
rallies, but rather “meet-ups”
of like-minded individuals
(strictly heterosexual men),
who referred to themselves as
belonging to “tribes.”

According to Roosh V,
founder of Return of Kings,
neomasculinity can be defined
thusly: “[A combination of]
traditional beliefs, masculinity,
and animal biology into one
ideological system. It aims to
aid men living in Westernized
nations that lack qualities such
as classical virtue, masculinity
in males, femininity in females,
and objectivity, especially
concerning beauty ideals and
human behaviour.” Under this
statement on their official
website is a long table of
contents with subsections
describing the “principal
doctrines of neomasculinity,”
some of which are “Traditional
sex roles,” “Sexual marketplace
value,” “Feminine beauty
ideals,” and “Understanding
the true nature of women.”

What is the “true nature of
women?” Again, to quote the
website, “Women are skilled at
using the structure and rules
of the local environment to
fulfill their goals, which is to
secure the highest possible
value male, gain as much
material resources as possible,
pursue the female primal need
for pleasure and vanity, and
compete successfully against
other females ... A woman’s
nature is therefore not static,
and takes the shape of the
container of her environment
... Elimination of traditional
sex roles and the promotion
of unlimited mating choice
in women unleashes their
promiscuity and other negative
behaviors that block family
formation.”

The expectations that
Return of Kings has of its
male members are also quite

rigid. The site states: “A man’s
value significantly depends
on his resources, intellect,
and character.” Thus, there

is a large focus in the Return
of Kings community on self-
improvement to build oneself

into the ideal “masculine” man.

As well, there is a held
belief in the community
that “men will opt out of
monogamy and reproduction
if there are no incentives to
engage in them.” To counter
this, the community holds a
dedication to the traditional
family unit for the betterment
of society.

So how did all of this
translate online from “tribal
meet-ups’ to “pro-rape rallies’?

Well, among their base
belief system, there is a
political movement to
dismantle domestic violence
laws in an effort to stop sexual
assault.

In an article titled “How to
Stop Rape,” Roosh V explained
his concerns about sexual
assault, and his strategy to
solve the frequency of such
crimes (in the specific context
of men assaulting women):

“By attempting to teach
men not to rape,’ he wrote,
“what we have actually done
is teach women not to care
about being raped, not to
protect themselves from easily
preventable acts, and not to
take responsibility for their
actions ... [thought about this
problem and am sure I have
the solution: make rape legal if
done on private property.”

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iustration by Ed

 

This may immediately strike
one asa little backwards, but
Roosh V elaborates further:
“Without daddy government
to protect her, a girl would
absolutely not enter a private
room with a man she doesn’t
know or trust unless she is
absolutely sure she is ready
to sleep with him. Consent is
now achieved when she passes
underneath the room’s door
frame, because she knows
that that man can legally do
anything he wants to her when
it comes to sex...”

Many have found this
sentiment to be alarming,
and the idea of gatherings of
people who think this way
less than ideal. Because of
the public backlash, official
meetings of the Return of
Kings groups were canceled
by Roosh V, though it is
worth mentioning that many
went forward and took place
regardless. Surely, with the
emphasis on self-improvement,
patriarchal importance, and
self-sufficiency, the members
of Return of Kings have to
formulate themselves as
independent, strong men that
own their own homes and
are capable of providing for
their families as a traditional
patriarchal figure—that is what
founder Roosh V would expect
of them, given his strong
opinions on the matter.

According to The Province,
Roosh V was last seen at his
mother’s house in Maryland,
as he currently lives in her
basement.

 

Image via www. lenallure.com

Beauty on a Budget

> E.1.f. Studio Blush and Studio Blush Duo

Lauren Kelly
Assistant Editor

 

’m not someone who uses

many blushes, as I have trouble
applying most colours I’ve tried
and having them look natural. I
wanted to write about blushes for
this column, and I also wanted to
discover a good blush for spring.
So after doing a bit of research
I decided to test some of E.1.f’s
more popular blush options due
to their favourable reviews and
cheap prices. The colours I chose
are the Studio Blush single in
“Tickled Pink” and the Studio
Contouring Blush & Bronzer
Powder duo in “St Lucia.”

As someone with a very light
skin tone, I found “Tickled Pink”
to be an incredibly natural colour
on me, and it will definitely be
something I'll be using often.

It’s a very warm, neutral pink
that blends out well. It does
have some shimmer, but I didn’t
find it very noticeable on my
skin. It had fairly long wear
time as well. The E.1-f. blushes
come in four neutral shades
that range from peach to pink,
two pretty deep mauves, a bold
bubblegum pink, and white and
gold shimmer highlight colours.

The contouring duo comes in

four different colour pairs, each
with one blush and one bronzer.
“St Lucia,” the most popular
choice, is said to be a dupe for
Nars’ famous “Orgasm/Laguna”
duo. However, when comparing
them myself as I use the Nars
palette daily, I found that the
Elf blush was lighter and pinker,
while the bronzer was much
deeper. Although the blush was
avery pretty colour on me and
one I'll be wearing in the spring,
the bronzer was much too deep
and pigmented for me to use as a
convincing contour. It would be
perfect for people with deeper skin
tones than mine, though. It could
also be lightly brushed on to the
face to warm it up for spring for
those who want a bit more colour
coming out of our dreary winter
months. The “Fiji” duo would
be better for people with lighter
skin, as the bronzer is a softer
colour than the other palettes.
I’m happy with the “Tickled
Pink” blush, and with the product
quality in general. However, I’ll
definitely be going back fora
different colour in the duo. Either
way, I would recommend the
products to anyone—just make
sure you find the right shade! Both
the single and duo are available
at London Drugs for $3.99.

wW #DOUGLIFE

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Maureen Mackey

 

[ @ |

Relishing the enjoyment & learning
from #NormVaughan's Fri.
workshops at #DouglasCollege
‘COlmodel #blendedlearning

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This week's tweet is by Maureen Mackey