THE NEW FACE OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING WEARS PROGRESSIVE CLOTHING

The misandry that dominates many online spaces has unintentionally created fertile ground for a new kind of predator.

While scrolling through TikTok, I came across one of the countless influencers whose entire online identity revolves around hating men. You know the type: everything wrong with society is somehow men’s fault, endless lectures about a mythical feminist utopia, and a steady stream of outrage designed to keep followers angry and engaged. Usually I roll my eyes and keep scrolling. It’s become predictable, almost fashionable.

But this account gave me a different feeling.

Not because of the hatred—it was because everything about it felt calculated.

As I dug through her content, I noticed that her audience consisted largely of very young women enthusiastically absorbing everything she said. Then I found the videos that crossed the line from ideological nonsense into something genuinely disturbing.

This woman was encouraging teenage girls and young women to leave the United States, promising to arrange five-star accommodations while teaching them how to manipulate wealthy older men for money. She framed it as fighting the patriarchy and achieving financial independence.

Some of the girls expressing interest appeared to be as young as seventeen.

Think about what she’s actually proposing.

She’s asking inexperienced young women to travel to a foreign country where they know no one, become completely dependent on a stranger for housing and basic necessities, and then meet older men she personally connects them with.

That’s not empowerment.

That’s vulnerability disguised as liberation.

Reading the comments was honestly surreal. Young women were asking how to join, telling each other to message her privately so she could help arrange the trip. I kept thinking, How can anyone believe this?

Then I realized that’s exactly how recruitment works.

Most people picture human traffickers as creepy men lurking in dark alleyways or pimps dressed like movie villains. Reality is far less obvious. After doing some research, I discovered that many trafficking recruiters are actually women. It makes sense. Women often appear more approachable and trustworthy, especially to young girls who may already be skeptical of men.

Predators adapt.

If they know their target is immersed in online spaces where they’re constantly told men are dangerous, they simply present themselves as the safe alternative.

The recruitment process follows a familiar pattern.

First, isolate the target emotionally. Convince her that everyone outside the movement is ignorant or oppressive. Tell her her family doesn’t understand her. Reinforce the idea that only members of the group truly care about her future.

Then comes the opportunity.

Travel with me.

I’ll take care of you.

I’ll teach you how to become financially independent.

I’ll show you how to beat the system.

Strip away the political language, and this starts sounding remarkably similar to how cults and traffickers have operated for decades.

The ideology is simply a new coat of paint.

One thing that stood out to me was how dissent was treated. Women who questioned these ideas were dismissed as victims of "internalized misogyny," while all men were portrayed as either predators or walking wallets. Creating an "us versus them" mentality is one of the oldest manipulation tactics in existence because it discourages critical thinking and makes people more dependent on the group.

That’s what should concern us.

This isn’t about feminism versus anti-feminism. It’s about recognizing manipulation when we see it.

Anyone promising young people effortless financial independence through exploiting strangers should raise immediate red flags. Anyone encouraging teenagers to leave their support systems and become dependent on someone they’ve only met online deserves serious scrutiny.

Predators don’t always look like predators.

Sometimes they look like influencers.

Sometimes they speak the language of empowerment.

Sometimes they build communities around outrage before quietly introducing exploitation.

We need to do a better job teaching young people—especially young women—that trafficking doesn’t always begin with force. More often, it begins with trust, ideology, promises of belonging, and opportunities that seem too good to be true.

If someone is asking you to abandon your support network, trust only them, and build your future around taking advantage of other people, they’re probably not offering freedom.

They’re offering a trap.