TikTok and the Male Gaze, Reimagined
Once considered a platform for dance challenges, Gen Z humor, and pop music memes, TikTok has now become a digital coliseum where brands compete not just for attention — but for authenticity. Amid the thirst traps and trending sounds, a seismic cultural shift is taking place: the redefinition of masculinity in real time. And in this transformation, marketers see opportunity.
Traditionally, marketing to men was formulaic: cars, sports, gadgets, women. The archetypes were predictable and frankly, outdated — the stoic man, the buff man, the “alpha” male with an axe and a six-pack. But the TikTok generation of men doesn’t want to be sold toxic stereotypes. They want representation, humor, relatability, and above all, content that doesn’t try too hard.
So what does it mean to market to men — particularly young men — on TikTok? It means stepping away from the billboard bravado of the past and embracing vulnerability, irony, and hyper-niche authenticity. This is not your father’s ad campaign.
The Demographics: Who Are These Men, Anyway?
While TikTok’s user base skews slightly female globally (around 55%), male engagement on the app is growing fast, especially in categories like fitness, gaming, personal development, and comedy. A 2024 Sensor Tower report found that men aged 18-34 now represent one of the fastest-growing user segments on the platform, with engagement times that often exceed an hour per day.
These aren’t just passive scrollers, either. They’re creators, commenters, and consumers of content ranging from meme breakdowns to Jordan Peterson debates, gym transformation arcs, and “day in the life” vlogs. The diversity of interest among male TikTok users is staggering — and that’s what makes marketing to them both exciting and perilous.
Unlike the broad targeting of traditional media, TikTok demands micro-strategies. Marketing to “men” on TikTok isn’t about one big campaign — it’s about a thousand micro-campaigns, each speaking to a niche subculture, hobby, or identity.
Subcultures of Masculinity: From “Sigma” to Soft Boy
TikTok has splintered the traditional image of the “man’s man” into countless subtypes, each with their own aesthetic, language, and values. Consider just a few:
- The Sigma Male / Hustle Bro: Think Andrew Tate-style grindset content, dropshipping tips, cold showers at 5am. This subculture values financial freedom, self-discipline, and a rejection of mainstream norms.
- The Gym Rat / Hypertrophy Hero: Focused on personal transformation and discipline. Think shirtless progress updates, pre-workout reviews, and “how to bulk clean” content. Fitness brands thrive here.
- The E-boy / Soft Boy / Art Hoe: Leaning into emo, indie, and sensitive aesthetics. These men reject hypermasculinity in favor of vulnerability and creative expression. Fashion and skincare brands do well here.
- The Comedian / Shitposter: Highly ironic and self-deprecating, this group uses humor as a weapon. They mock everything — including themselves. They’re loyal to brands that get the joke.
- The Intellectual / Debate Bro: Often engaged in political, philosophical, or pop-science commentary. Podcasts, book brands, and educational platforms find a home here.
Each of these archetypes may seem like a parody, but they reflect real consumer identities. And they all shop, engage, and build trust differently. Understanding this complexity is the difference between virality and being ratioed.
What Works: Authenticity Over Authority
Gone are the days when a slick ad was enough. TikTok’s algorithm rewards authenticity, whether it’s an unfiltered story, a self-deprecating joke, or a behind-the-scenes look at a business. This applies tenfold when marketing to men, whose BS meters are finely tuned after years of being sold overproduced fantasies.
1. Creator Partnerships > Celebrity Endorsements
Working with TikTok-native creators — not just influencers with large followings — leads to far better engagement. These creators know how to speak the language of their subculture.
For instance, when Gymshark collaborates with fitness creators like @nattbfit or @davidlaid, it’s not just product placement. It’s storytelling. We see routines, transformations, diet hacks — and the brand becomes part of a lifestyle rather than a sales pitch.
2. Humor and Self-Awareness
Male TikTok is saturated with irony. Brands that lean into this — like Duolingo’s unhinged mascot or Ryanair’s Gen Z sass — win by not taking themselves too seriously. This allows them to insert themselves into male-dominated comedy spaces without feeling forced or intrusive.
A deodorant brand like Old Spice might succeed here by spoofing the very idea of “manliness,” tapping into the absurdity of legacy marketing.
3. Relatable Struggles, Real Stories
Content that speaks to real male experiences — body image issues, mental health, financial anxiety — resonates deeply. A TikTok ad campaign from BetterHelp featuring creators discussing anxiety in their early 20s went viral not because it was polished, but because it was raw.
TikTok men are over the #LiveYourBestLife aesthetic. They’re looking for honesty, even if it’s messy.
What Doesn’t Work: Pushing the Alpha Narrative
While the Andrew Tate-style “hustle masculinity” trend garners views, it’s also incredibly polarizing. Many young men see it as toxic, and brands that associate with this content risk alienating a massive portion of their potential audience — not tomention facing backlash from TikTok’s powerful community watchdogs.
Brands should be wary of glamorizing hyper-masculinity without context. Instead, they should lean into nuance. Show thestruggle behind the hustle. Showcase different versions of success. Avoid monocultures of manhood.
Case Studies: Who’s Getting It Right?
1. Manscaped
Manscaped, a men’s grooming brand, found early TikTok success by combining humor, awkward realism, and a wink at male vulnerability. Their creator-led strategy includes skits about dating, confidence, and hygiene — all wrapped in relatable cringe comedy. They don’t pretend shaving your balls is glamorous. That’s the point.
2. Liquid Death
Though technically a beverage brand, Liquid Death understands male humor better than most. Their TikToks lean intometalhead absurdity, fake satanic rituals, and punk rock rebellion. They’re funny, irreverent, and — crucially — non-corporate in tone. This has made them cult favorites among alternative subcultures.
3. Harry’s Razors
Harry’s markets to a more progressive, thoughtful kind of masculinity. Their TikTok presence reflects this, with content about mental health, fatherhood, and the quiet rituals of daily life. Their tone is soft, not preachy. The message: being a man doesn’t require shouting.
The Algorithmic Advantage: Microtargeting in Action
TikTok’s For You Page (FYP) is built on interest-based rather than identity-based targeting. This allows brands to reach male audiences not just by gender, but by interest cluster — e.g., #booktok, #gamtok, #finance, #mensfashion, #dadsoftiktok.
This means:
- A skincare brand can market to male gym-goers under #fitcheck.
- A supplement company can create content that hits both #dietfail and #bodydysmorphia.
- A fashion label can appeal to both streetwear enthusiasts and nostalgic ‘90s guys in one campaign — just with different creators and tones.
This is where creative diversity and A/B testing shine. The same product can live 10 different lives in 10 different corners ofTikTok — if you understand the audience.
The Gender Conversation: Marketing Beyond the Binary
It’s impossible to talk about men on TikTok without acknowledging the evolving conversation around gender. Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences are more comfortable with fluid expressions of masculinity than any generation prior. That doesn’t mean brands need to abandon all labels — but it does mean they need to be inclusive, intentional, and flexible.
Avoiding rigid gender roles doesn’t mean erasing masculinity — it means expanding it.
Tips for Brands: Marketing to Men on TikTok in 2025
- Ditch the macho monolith: Don’t assume all men want the same thing. Niche targeting wins.
- Use humor wisely: Irony, absurdism, and self-awareness perform better than seriousness.
- Partner with real creators: Avoid sanitized influencers. Work with people who understand their niche.
- Be subtle: TikTok’s not for hard sells. Enter the conversation, don’t dominate it.
- Show the struggle: Authentic male stories — vulnerability, doubt, failure — resonate more than perfection.
- Update your aesthetics: The old “dude wipes + sports car” branding is dead. Get weird, get soft, or get out of the way.
Conclusion: Not Just Eyeballs — Empathy
Marketing to men on TikTok isn’t about pushing product. It’s about understanding a generation in flux. Today’s young men are navigating shifting ideas of identity, purpose, and masculinity — all while scrolling through a thousand dopamine-laced clips a day.
If brands want to reach them, they’ll have to do more than shout. They’ll have to listen, adapt, and show up — not as authority figures, but as co-conspirators in the weird, raw, and often hilarious journey of modern manhood.
On TikTok, the future of marketing isn’t chest-pounding dominance. It’s niche fluency, emotional intelligence, and a really good meme strategy.