Soy beans and soy milk

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 an insult for male femininity by online communities.[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 no correlation between consumption of soy phytoestrogens and testosterone or estrogen levels[4] or sperm quality.[5]

Biology

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] 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."[9]

Usage

See also: Soyjak

The term is often used as an epithet by internet trolls. It is often targeted at perceived social justice warriors, vegans,[10] social liberals, and similar groups.[11] The term has also been used in online debates about the fashion appeal of cargo shorts.[12]

Soy boys are often depicted as feminized and unathletic, usually with glasses and a poorly groomed beard, and having a characteristic open-mouthed smile called a "soy face" or "soylent grin",[13][14] a pun on the 1973 dystopian film Soylent Green.

Diet and men's health

While there is some evidence that phytoestrogens may affect male fertility, "further investigation is needed before a firm conclusion can be drawn".[15] Several review studies have not found any effect of phytoestrogens on sperm quality[5] or reproductive hormone levels.[4][15]

Soy is rich in nutrients and likely to provide health benefits, especially when it replaces red or processed meat.[9] Avoidance of red and processed meat was found to lower risk of developing erectile dysfunction.[16][17] Higher soy intake is also associated with lower risk for prostate cancer.[18][19]

See also

Look up soy boy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

References

  1. ^ Hosie, Rachel (30 September 2020). "Soy Boy: What is this new online insult used by the far right?". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-24.
  2. ^ Gleeson, Jules Joanne (3 February 2018). "An Anatomy of the Soy Boy". New Socialist. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  3. ^ Beck, Chris (18 January 2020). "The Rise of Nu-Males and Soy Boys". Splice Today. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
  4. ^ a b Reed, Katharine E.; Camargo, Juliana; Hamilton-Reeves, Jill; Kurzer, Mindy; Messina, Mark (2021-03-01). "Neither soy nor isoflavone intake affects male reproductive hormones: An expanded and updated meta-analysis of clinical studies". Reproductive Toxicology. 100: 60–67. doi:10.1016/j.reprotox.2020.12.019. ISSN 0890-6238. PMID 33383165.
  5. ^ a b Messina, Mark (May 1, 2010). "Soybean isoflavone exposure does not have feminizing effects on men: a critical examination of the clinical evidence". Fertility and Sterility. 93 (7): 2095–2104. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2010.03.002. PMID 20378106.
  6. ^ Thompson, Lilian U.; Boucher, Beatrice A.; Liu, Zhen; Cotterchio, Michelle; Kreiger, Nancy (June 17, 2006). "Phytoestrogen content of foods consumed in Canada, including isoflavones, lignans, and coumestan". Nutrition and Cancer. 54 (2): 184–201. doi:10.1207/s15327914nc5402_5. PMID 16898863. S2CID 60328.
  7. ^ a b Rietjens I. M. C. M.; Louisse J.; Beekmann K. (June 2017). "The potential health effects of dietary phytoestrogens". British Journal of Pharmacology. 174 (11): 1263–1280. doi:10.1111/bph.13622. PMC 5429336. PMID 27723080.
  8. ^ George G. J. M. Kuiper; Josephine G. Lemmen; Bo Carlsson; J. Christopher Corton; Stephen H. Safe; Paul T. van der Saag; Bart van der Burg; Jan-Åke Gustafsson (1 October 1998). "Interaction of Estrogenic Chemicals and Phytoestrogens with Estrogen Receptor β". Endocrinology. 139 (10): 4252–4263. doi:10.1210/endo.139.10.6216. PMID 9751507.
  9. ^ a b "Straight Talk About Soy". The Nutrition Source. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. 2018-08-06. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
  10. ^ Cunningham, Brent (18 September 2019). "Plant-based meat and the knock-down, drag-out fight for the American diet". Vox. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  11. ^ Reynolds, George (October 25, 2019). "Why do people hate vegans?". The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.
  12. ^ Jennings, Rebecca (April 18, 2019). "The latest debate on right-wing Twitter: are cargo shorts for 'real men' or 'soy boys?'". Vox.
  13. ^ Abascal, Luis (4 July 2021). "Basado, charocracia, chad o pesetas y cunetas: así habla el Team Facha". Elplural (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 19 September 2021. Retrieved 22 Sep 2021.
  14. ^ Klee, Miles (2020). "'Soy Face' Is Real, and It's Annoying — It Just Needs a Better Name". Mel Magazine. Archived from the original on 1 October 2021. Retrieved 22 Sep 2021.
  15. ^ a b Cederroth C. R.; Auger J.; Zimmermann C.; Eustache F.; Nef S. (2010). "Soy, phyto-oestrogens and male reproductive function: a review". International Journal of Andrology. 33 (2): 304–316. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2605.2009.01011.x. PMID 19919579.
  16. ^ Bauer, Scott R.; Breyer, Benjamin N.; Stampfer, Meir J.; Rimm, Eric B.; Giovannucci, Edward L.; Kenfield, Stacey A. (2020-11-13). "Association of Diet With Erectile Dysfunction Among Men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study". JAMA Network Open. 3 (11): e2021701. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.21701. ISSN 2574-3805. PMC 7666422. PMID 33185675.
  17. ^ La, Justin; Roberts, Natalie H.; Yafi, Faysal A. (2018-01-01). "Diet and Men's Sexual Health". Sexual Medicine Reviews. 6 (1): 54–68. doi:10.1016/j.sxmr.2017.07.004. ISSN 2050-0521. PMID 28778698.
  18. ^ Yan, Lin; Spitznagel, Edward L. (April 2009). "Soy consumption and prostate cancer risk in men: a revisit of a meta-analysis". The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 89 (4): 1155–1163. doi:10.3945/ajcn.2008.27029. ISSN 1938-3207. PMID 19211820.
  19. ^ Applegate, Catherine C.; Rowles, Joe L.; Ranard, Katherine M.; Jeon, Sookyoung; Erdman, John W. (2018-01-04). "Soy Consumption and the Risk of Prostate Cancer: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis". Nutrients. 10 (1): 40. doi:10.3390/nu10010040. ISSN 2072-6643. PMC 5793268. PMID 29300347.
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