“It keeps us awake”: nicotine is the latest obsession of the American extreme right to maintain manhood

Although the consumption of nicotine pouches, known as nicotine pouches, is still very limited in Spain, its addictive power worries the European Commission, which recognizes that given the existing legal vacuum, and given the absence of tobacco in these bags, there is no specific directive that regulates its use. Stacey Kennedy, president of Philip Morris, assures that the numbers have grown compared to the expectations that were had for this campaign thanks to the sale of tobacco bags, since the demand for Zyn bags (the best-known brand) in the United States increased by 66% in the third quarter of last year.

The American political universe has politicized its use and linked it to a manhood that it considers in danger. It is not the first technique that tries to make a man become a man again in a world, according to certain sectors of the extreme right, consumed by feminism and the so-called culture. woke up: Before there were testicle tanners or testosterone parties. Tucker Carlson, controversial former star host of Fox News, is considered the first zynfluencer. “When he stopped smoking, he opted for nicotine gum. For a couple of years now, she has trusted Zyn. She claims that it helps her think clearly. “Both he and many conservatives point out that Democrats now want to legalize marijuana, but they continue to go against nicotine, which, they think, is what keeps us awake and helps us achieve goals,” explains journalist David Weigel to the American public radio portal, NPRtalking about how nicotine pouches have become the latest political battle.

But Carlson is not the only one who extols the supposed benefits of Zyn: those who use these bags, which when placed behind the lip, cause the nicotine to be absorbed at high speed until raising blood pressure and heart rate, assure that it releases the mind and increases both productivity and sexual potency. Thus, the nicotine pouches have become part of a masculinized and ultra-virile vision of health that, as pointed out an article from the media Voxmakes the cult of the body and these nicotine bags its weapons to be more sexual and productive.

In search of lost masculinity?

These bags, which are inspired by a tobacco product called snus, Very popular in Sweden, they contain a highly addictive stimulant and have become popular in industries linked to finance and technology. From spectrum icons techielike Elon Musk, even the controversial and misogynist influencer Andrew Tate, the message that everyone is sending is that with the help of stimulants and the cult of the body it is possible to recover the absolute dominance that, according to their beliefs, society and feminism are stealing from them. “Many sexist men are afraid of losing their power and privileges, from the cybermisogynists of love to the coaches of neoliberal success, they try to cling tightly to the same old patriarchy and to an outdated power that is giving its last gasps, something that undoubtedly speaks of their complexes and fears,” explains Erick Pescador Albiach, sociologist, sexologist and specialist in “development of the culture of care.” “That speech that some men make viral on the networks and that sells the idea of ​​achieving your best version reminds me of the number of frustrated, depressed or on the verge of suicide men that this system has created and destroyed. It is the worst of sexist discourses, which also fights with feminism.”

“The left is promoting marijuana among their children, but they do not allow them to consume tobacco, nor those alternatives with nicotine that do not cause cancer. Why do they hate nicotine? Because it frees your mind, while THC makes you docile and passive,” argues Tucker Carlson on Fox News. Not content with his statements, he has confessed that he has the Zyb bags in his mouth until seconds before closing his eyes in bed and is unable to understand why the left is against nicotine. “It can be bad for some, but not for all, and in fact it has many medical benefits that have been documented. It increases your mental capacity, your testosterone levels and can fight against Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, so I don't understand what problem they have,” he said. “They fear a society where a man wakes up in the morning, drinks black coffee, puts a bag of Zyn under his lip and faces the world,” said Greg Price, communications director for the ultraconservative State Freedom Caucus Network. . “A man who has nicotine, protein, caffeine and creatine in his veins is an unstoppable force. Imagine if Joe Biden smoked a couple of cigars a day. Maybe he would know where to walk when he finishes his speeches,” he added.

The paradox of masculinity

Apparently, the John Waynes of 2024 have made training and nicotine bags the new weapons of their manhood and have decided that physical exercise (is it a coincidence that Mark Zuckerberg has become obsessed with muscles?) is the best way to recover masculinity. “The cult of the body has always been a classic value of masculinity that commodifies man, either by militarizing him or making him produce with his body,” Manuel Gare, author of Male, an essay-memoir about masculinity that travels through the world of sports, work culture, success, failure and the silences of men. “If we add the physical power of sport to work and war, we have the three pillars on which man has historically been given meaning in our societies. But now the man no longer occupies all positions of power and his relationship with the other sex has changed. For some it is a liberation, but for others what is left is a feeling of emptiness and of failing at his masculinity. Given this lack of answers, many return to the body.”

When we talk to him about the curious connection between stimulants, adrenaline and masculinity, he admits that he thinks it's a funny contradiction. “It implies assuming that you are not a complete man and that you need supplements and external agents to prove that, indeed, you are. “It is the eternal paradox of masculinity: exaggerating our manhood to the extreme and constantly proving to others that we are men while we live scared of not being men enough,” he points out.

Pescador emphasizes that the traditional and toxic model of masculinity is based on power, strength and “enduring everything.” “These natural and artificial stimulants give the illusion of being able to do everything, but it is a fantasy. We know that the most powerful is not the man who endures the most, but the one who knows the most about his emotions and weaknesses. These cyber-machistas unconsciously propose the opposite.”

When the American television channel MSNBC published in X that “the extreme right's obsession with the fitness is going digital,” Elon Musk responded that “MSNBC thinks if you work out, you're a Nazi.”

In this attempt to politicize sport, studies such as the one launched by Brunel University (London), which noted that muscular men tend to be less supportive of economic and social equality.

The portal Vox talks about how the latest vision of masculinity requires men to look attractive and fit, but also be able to perform any activity with productivity, energy and efficiency. “The mascuzynity [juego de palabras entre masculinidad y la marca Zyn], instead of being stoic and silent, consists of making an effort, exercising and betting on relentless self-improvement. “The new model of masculinity focuses intensely on what men put into their bodies: nicotine, protein, caffeine and creatine,” writes journalist Anna North in the piece. Vox.

“This idea responds to the terrible neoliberal slogan of “be the best version of yourself,” or what is the same: be the best, the one who competes and wins. Don't let your guard down, always improve yourself and be more and better than others; more man, more macho, more virile, successful… And that is shown to the world with the six pack and with the biceps,” adds Pescador Albiach.

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