Despite conversations around young people’s growing flexible gender identities, YPulse data shows they are still deeply affected by gender stereotypes, and many feel pressure to live up to certain ideals in order to be accepted. YPulse’s new Trad Wives and Alpha Males trend report shows social media is the biggest source of that pressure, especially for Gen Z. For young males in particular, hypermasculine content online is fueling a wave of “Bro Wellness” trends—viral challenges and routines that frame as self-care as a test of “true masculinity.” These trends mix qualities like discipline and control with personal health, often focusing on intense workouts, strict diets, and grooming routines so extreme they’ve become content themselves (see: Ashton Hall’s six hour-morning routine). On the surface, these trends might seem like healthy motivation (and they can be!), but the reality is more nuanced. At the beginning of 2025, YPulse predicted young men would get more into viral “wellness” and aesthetic trends—and we were clearly right. But many of these viral “bro wellness”...
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