TikTok’s viral ‘Man vs. Bear’ debate revealed that women would rather be stuck in a forest with a bear than a man. This startling answer inspired DANG to collaborate with partners at Pair of Thieves to launch “Be More Bear” a branded content series tackling toxic masculinity.Since 2014, Pair of Thieves mission has been to empower communities and promote social good and just happened to have a Bear as their brand mascot. We knew they were the perfect fit to take on the manosphere.

‍The insight: In the digital age, alpha male influencers like Andrew Tate has propagated a dangerous narrative, promoting misogynistic and homophobic views that influence young men. And it’s working. The Guardian US recently did a study that revealed Gen Z boys and men more likely than baby boomers to believe feminism harmful. Fifth of men aged 16-29 look favourably on social media influencer Andrew Tate.

‍Our Answer: We aim to counter this by advocating for secure masculinity. We recognized that while toxic masculinity is loud and pervasive, healthy masculinity often goes unnoticed. It requires visibility, strength, and a touch of swagger. 

“Be More Bear,” transforms the Pair of Thieves Bear into an alpha motivational speaker who champions mindfulness, benevolence, solidarity, and empathy. The series smartly uses bold visuals and familiar alpha male tropes on social media to convey powerful messages about healthy masculinity. And hope to infiltrate the manosphere to rescue the youth.