Soy boy

Soy boy is a pejorative term sometimes used in online communities to describe men perceived to be lacking masculine characteristics. The term bears many similarities and has been compared to the slang terms cuck (derived from cuckold), nu-male and low-T ("low testosterone") – terms sometimes used as insults for male femininity in the manosphere.^[1][2][3]

The term is based on the presence of the phytoestrogen isoflavone in soybeans, which has led some to claim that soy products feminize men who consume them, although there is a lack of evidence supporting the correlation between consumption of soy phytoestrogens and testosterone or estrogen levels^[4] or sperm quality.^[5]

Soy products contain high amounts of phytoestrogens.^[6][7] As they are structurally similar to estradiol (the major female sex hormone) and have activity at the estrogen receptor.^[8] An article written in the 1970s claimed that soy could disrupt hormone balance which initially started the bad reputation,^[9] since then concerns have been raised that it may act as an endocrine disruptor that adversely affects health.^[7] The Harvard School of Health, however, notes that "there are many factors that make it difficult to construct blanket statements about the health effects of soy",^[10] in the late 2010s and early 2020s a sizeable amount of research and scientific reviews further debunked claims.^[9]

The term is often used as an epithet by internet trolls. It often targets perceived vegans,^[11][12] social liberals, and other groups. The term has also been used in online debates about the fashion appeal of cargo shorts,^[13] having a feminized and unathletic look, and an exaggerated smile called a "soy face" or "Soylent grin",^[14][15] a reference to a meal replacement shake (itself named as a reference to the 1973 dystopian film Soylent Green).

Look up soy boy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Beta male (slang)
• Neckbeard (slang)
• Cuckold
• Incel
• Low-T
• Sissy
• Sexism
• Soylent (meal replacement)
• Brendan Schaub