Femcel, short for “female involuntary celibate”, is a sociological term describing a social phenomenon. The term generally refers to a woman experiencing involuntary celibacy: the inability to obtain a romantic and/or sexual partner despite desiring one.
Origins
In the early 2010s, the term ‘incel’ started to emerge in popularity after the publicization of the 2014 Isla Vista killings[1], the perpetrator portraying himself as an incel, therefore permanently tying the term to individuals that exhibit feelings of extreme misogyny and resent towards women[2]. The need for a separate term was fairly necessary, it being allegedly created in 2018[3], however it only started to be largely recognized in 2021, as during this time, mainstream media began to notice a trend of 'femcels' vocalizing their thoughts online, and writing articles about these women.
Debate on existence
The majority of men do not believe in the existence of femcels. This is because men do not view unattractive women as human[4]; Unattractive women are rendered invisible in a culture that assigns value to women based on sexual desirability. The prevailing belief that “any woman can get sex” is rooted in the assumption that male sex drive ensures access to sexual attention. However, this perspective ignores several key factors. Most men do not acknowledge the reality that much of their sexual knowledge is shaped by pornography, which overwhelmingly centers male pleasure and neglects the female experience. As a result, many men lack a basic understanding of female anatomy or how to please a woman, further contributing to why sex may not be desirable for some women. Femcels often reject meaningless or degrading encounters, even if they are available.
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