TRP

The term "The Red Pill" and the abbreviation TRP are inspired by the 1999 movie The Matrix, in which the main character is told that taking the red pill will reveal the reality of life. It has since been widely adopted to refer to waking up to the reality of a situation. For example:

TRP became popular on Pickup Artist (PUA) forums and in Men's Rights Activism (MRA) spaces during the early 2010s. It was popularized by a Reddit sub that is now banned (r/TheRedPill) and books like The Rational Male (2013), by American author Rollo Tomassi. Core beliefs of "red pillers" include:

Critics argue TRP fosters paranoia and alienation among men and acts as a radicalization pipeline, driving some followers to groups such as "Men Going Their Own Way" (MGTOW) that advocate for complete disengagement from romantic relationships with women, and "Involuntary Celibate"(Incel) groups that blame women and society for men's lack of sexual success. TRP influencers often prey on lonely or insecure men by selling courses and coaching on "alpha" behavior, promoting a lifestyle centered on wealth, physical prowess, and dominance, while often espousing misogynistic views.

TRP is classified as an initialism abbreviation, as it is pronounced one letter at a time. Initialisms are different to acronyms, which are abbreviations spoken as words.