Men who watch Barbie are “betas”—or at least that’s what Olympic influencer Jack Flood says he believes.
“Beta” is a slang term used to describe a man who lacks masculine energy and is seen as passive and weak.
On the movie’s opening weekend, the 27-year-old Texas athlete and content creator posted a video denigrating men who go out to watch the movie.
@jackfloood #barbie ♬ Polozhenie – Izzamuzzic Remix – Скриптонит
“If you’re a man and you go watch the movie Barbie, you’re 100% a beta, there’s no way around it,” Flood said in the video. “I don’t care if your girlfriend forced you. How about you force her to watch Oppenheimer? Because that’s what real alphas would do.”
Oppenheimer is the war history drama by Christopher Nolan that premiered on the same day as Barbie. This famously led to the term, “Barbenheimer.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Flood.
The pseudoscientific descriptors of alpha and beta masculinity have been popularized online in the past few years, thanks to memes and earnest posts by the likes of Andrew Tate and other man-focused creators and influencers.
Flood’s take was received with humor in the comments section, with dozens of comments referencing the movie.
“The way he’s living in his own kendom irl,” one commenter said, referencing the fictional, hyper-patriarchal land of Ken portrayed in Barbie.
“Uninvited to the Mojo Dojo Casa house,” added another commenter, referring to Ken’s alternate name for the Barbie Dreamhouse.
Flood goes on to say that fathers taking their daughters to watch the movie are an exception—and called that a “Mega Alpha move.”
The athlete and content creator has built a following of over 190,000 followers on the platform by posting content about fitness, exercise, weight loss, and muscle gains. He’s also drawn controversy by promoting rapid weight loss, excessive protein intake, and rigorous workout routines.
@jackfloood Replying to @Cyrus i’m 6’5” btw #barbie ♬ original sound – Jack Flood
In a different video, the creator said he was taken aback seeing a man wearing a pink shirt while watching Barbie in a movie theater.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes,” he said. “I can’t imagine, as a man, walking into that movie with a pink shirt on to see a movie called ‘Barbie.’”
“I’m 6’5” btw,” the creator wrote in the caption.
In his comments sections, users are left wondering if Flood’s TikTok account is centered around satirizing toxic masculinity, or if his content is genuine.
“Is it bad if I can’t tell if this is satire?” one commenter wrote.
“Do you hear yourself talk??” another asked.
In his other videos, Flood also says that men who vape, drink iced coffee, eat bagels, or are lactose intolerant are betas.
“So this guy is just making up the rules to what is alpha vs beta?” one commenter wrote.
Unclear whether Flood’s content is satirical or not, many users simply defied his extreme notions of masculinity by using one of the movie’s iconic lines, commenting “I am Kenough” under his video.
