TikTok vs. Marriage: How the Trend of Hating Men Leaves Women Out in the Cold

Viral TikTok trends and feminist literature are teaching women to view men as the enemy. Yet research shows the opposite: the war of the sexes leaves independent singles on the sidelines of happiness.

A growing anti-marriage movement—fueled by viral TikTok trends and celebrity endorsements—insists on framing men as humanity's main adversaries. However, according to a compelling new analytical column, the biggest losers in this fight may actually be women themselves.

Writing for USA Today, columnist Ingrid Jacques warns of the rapid rise of so-called "heteropessimism"—a term describing women's growing disillusionment with men and hostility toward traditional relationships. According to Jacques, popular trends like "divorce glow-ups" and "anti-male" literature are only widening the chasm between the sexes. "Studies show time and again: married women are not only happier, but they also live longer and earn more than their single peers," Ingrid Jacques emphasizes.

"Man-Babies" and "Freaks": How the Media Shapes the Image of Men

Jacques points out that the media consumed by modern women is steeped in hostility toward traditional bonds. As an example, she cites the bestseller Yesteryear, which centers on a tradwife-style blogger.

In the novel, men are reduced to banal and toxic tropes:

• A man is portrayed either as a lazy, unmotivated "man-child" devoid of brains and ambition;

• Or as a stereotypical patriarchal abuser hanging out with fellow sexists in the manosphere. At one point, the book's authors go so far as to label husbands as "freaks."

The Statistics of the Family Crisis

Anti-marriage sentiment is escalating against the backdrop of a catastrophic decline in US marriage and birth rates.

According to the latest data from the US Census Bureau:

• In 2025, only 47% of American households were married couples (compared to 66% 50 years ago).

• Of those married couples, only 37% are raising their own children under the age of 18 (down from 54% in 1975).

Jacques ties this shift directly to left-leaning ideology, noting that Americans with liberal views are abandoning traditional family structures at far higher rates than conservatives. "Everywhere you look, women who have 'freed' themselves from the bonds of marriage are celebrated," the author writes.

She points to public figures actively promoting singlehood or celebrating life after a split—including Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert and model Emily Ratajkowski. Comedian Leslie Jones went so far as to publicly claim that most married people she knows are already divorced, calling marriage "legalized slavery."

The Happiness Gap: Conservatives vs. Liberals

Data from the American Family Survey demonstrates a striking difference in life satisfaction among women aged 18 to 40.

Despite these findings, social media continues to romanticize singlehood. In the viral TikTok "divorce glow-up" trend, women post "before and after" photos, looking noticeably happier and more radiant in the "after" shots.

Is There a Way Back?

Citing Louise Perry, author of The Case Against the Sexual Revolution, Jacques argues that young audiences became disillusioned with relationships after getting burned out by hookup culture without ever learning how to build genuine friendships with the opposite sex.

Like Perry, Jacques is convinced that the antidote to this cultural and demographic crisis isn't running away from men, but returning to the institution of marriage. "Of course, it won't work for everyone," Ingrid Jacques concludes. "But men and women desperately need to find a way back to each other. And writing off marriage certainly isn't going to help."