You’ve probably seen it in your social feed, a composed and confident expression that appears classy and smug at the same time — the sigma face — a look that has crept up colloquial consciousness through the decades and has risen to viral fame.
Image credits: Lionsgate
Christian Bale’s portrayal of Patrick Bateman in “American Psycho” left an indelible mark on pop culture, but his influence didn’t stop at the turn of the millennium. The now-viral meme sparked a wave of discussions touching upon universal values of true masculinity. Let’s take a closer look at how the sigma face meme has ignited a digital firestorm, from where it started to how it evolved over the years.
Who Is the Sigma Male?
The sigma face is inherently a playful jab at the sigma male, a type of guy who is powerful, successful, and independent. The sigma male is different from the typical alpha male because the former is more introverted and doesn’t conform to standard societal norms. He’s strong and silent, unassuming and enigmatic. Sigma males stand out and draw people in with their mysterious appeal.
The concept of sigma men took the internet by storm in the 2010s when writer Theodore Robert Beale (aka Vox Day) began using the term on his blog as early as January 2010 (1).
Image credits: Tracy White
In the post “Sigma Goes Mainstream” on June 3, 2024, on Sigma Game, a dedicated Wikipedia channel for all things sigma, Beale recalls his description of the sigma male as the proverbial “lone wolf” who is “more introverted and seeks to dominate themselves”, in other words, trying to attain “self-mastery (2).” After Beale’s take in 2010, we later see references to sigma males in a few other blogs, forums, and posts.
In 2014, author John Alexander immortalized the term in the title of his relationship advice book “The Sigma Male: What Women Really Want (3).” Alexander describes the sigma male in the context of male relationships with women.
In 2021, YouTuber Lily Simpson pushed the whole sigma concept into mainstream media with a post that went viral on X. Highlighting some typical sigma references, she asked: “What the f**k is going on with men (4)?”
Those who couldn’t quite identify with the usual male mold resonated with the freedom of the sigma male identity. But, there are still others who found the sigma male concept to be offensive or laughable, saying that it is proof of the toxicity of modern masculinity.
In the article “The sad, stupid rise of the sigma male: how toxic masculinity took over social media,” published in The Guardian on June 12, 2024, writer Steve Rose confirms this duality and says that “describing someone as ‘sigma’ might be a compliment or an insult, depending on the context (5).”
Based on the given examples, the sigma face is meant to poke fun at or celebrate men exhibiting this kind of sigma male behavior — marking them as unbelievable, possibly contrived, or sometimes even too good to be true.
When Did the Sigma Face First Appear?
In April 2000, production house Lions Gate Films released “American Psycho,” a film adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’s 1991 novel of the same name (6). In the movie, Christian Bale plays the character of Patrick Bateman, a New York City investment banker who leads a double life as a serial killer.
Image credits: Lionsgate
In one scene, Patrick Bateman and Paul Allen (portrayed by Jared Leto) hang out and talk. During their conversation, Allen refers to “That loser, Patrick Bateman,” to which Bateman (Christian Bale) responds to the insult by contorting his face to the all-too-iconic “ooh face.”
This original sigma male face by Christian Bale inspired the viral versions that later followed. In The Know, Yahoo writer Donnavan Smoot published an article titled “TikTokers are ‘trying to be like Christian Bale’ with Sigma face trend” on February 8, 2023, where he confirms that sigma faces inspired by Bale’s Bateman were “originally poking fun at men and the so-called ‘sigma culture’ (7).”
The Rise of the Sigma Face on TikTok
More than 20 years after that memorable scene, Christian Bale’s sigma face lives on through social posts and memes. Depending on your view, the sigma male has garnered anything from widespread ridicule to fame through viral memes and gifs. TikTok has become the primary platform for teasing the sigma male behavior with the sigma face memes.
TikTok creator @argenby kicked off the whole sigma male face craze with a post (below) on November 22, 2022. He posted a video that instantly went viral, gathering over 95 million views in under two months and boasting 9.5 million likes.
@argenby
A couple of days after that first post, TikTok creator @argenby posted a second clip on November 24, 2022, showing the sigma face meme again. The second post surpassed the original, with 110 million views in under two months and 11.7 million likes when publishing this article.
@argenby
Since then, @argenby has consistently featured the sigma face in his posts, amassing a TikTok following of 22.9 million users.
Female creators joined the bandwagon, too, flashing their “female sigma faces” in social videos. The female versions of the sigma face meme has the same furrowed brows, smug smile, and puckered pout, giving rise to sigma female culture.
The first lady TikToker to transpose the sigma male face to “sigma girl” was @greapaxcherri. In her post on December 6, 2023, @greapaxcherri is seen out with an overeager date. She shows an almost aloof but understated kindness, which impresses her date. She flashes her female sigma face when he notices her unexpected move, seemingly self-aware and composed.
@greapaxcherri Sigma ❤ Omega #sigma #sigmagirl #틱톡순삭 #파트너크리에이터
♬ WORTH NOTHING – Fast & Furious: Drift Tape/Phonk Vol 1 – TWISTED & Fast & Furious: The Fast Saga
Around a month later, on January 4, 2023, TikTok user @greapaxcherri posted her following sigma female face video, which propelled her further up the sigma charts.
The second post gathered over 100 million plays and 8.7 million likes in less than two weeks. To date, TikTok viewers have watched the post 206.4 million times. This sigma girl and sigma face post is the creator’s highest-viewed video on @greapaxcherri’s channel.
@greapaxcherri Sigma girl과 게임하면… #sigmagirl #sigma #파트너크리에이터 #틱톡순삭
♬ WORTH NOTHING – Fast & Furious: Drift Tape/Phonk Vol 1 – TWISTED & Fast & Furious: The Fast Saga
Online Spread
Content creators reacted quickly to an emerging sigma face trend with the wave of the sigma face clips and reaction videos.
The numbers on TikTok are wildly impressive, with 369.7 million views for the tag #sigmaface. Various iterations, like #sigmagirl (4.2 billion), #sigmamale (9.6 billion), and #sigmafacememe (9.1 million), also garnered staggering following that solidified the sigma concept into a mainstream phenomenon.
Celebrities, too, touted as archetypal sigma males, acknowledge their appeal and share their take on the sigma male concept. In a press conference with Hollywood star Ryan Gosling last December 11, 2023, TikToker @rakibmfilms asked the actor about the alternative male types he plays in his more recent movie roles.
@rakibmfilms I asked #ryangosling the most important question #literallyme #actuallyme #ryangoslingedit #ryangoslingmeme #ken #barbie #margotrobbie #literallyhim #qna#interview#movie#london#bfi#southbank#americaferrera#barbiemovie
TikTokers, like @jakewolfstyle, in his September 2, 2022 post, even made lists identifying Hollywood celebrities and famous movie characters to define the sigma male type.
@jakewoolfstyle The 5 most stylish sigma males in movie history #movie #sigma #greenscreen
Content creator @andygordone featured a TikTok video on March 15, 2023, exploring whether certain personalities or movie characters are sigma males.
@andygordone Is Tom Hardy a sigma? 😎 #tomhardy #tom #hardy #sigma #sigmamale #boxing #jiujitsu #muaythai
Sports fans also had fun catching their favorite athletes making sigma faces, like this popular post of Christian Ronaldo on July 10, 2023, by @louisXX_7.
@louisxx_7
Recent videos that solidify sigma popularity include Roblox creations with digital renders of the sigma face meme, like the TikTok video by @zaren_delacruz posted on January 17, 2024.
@zaren_delacruz Roblox sigma face
The boxy Roblox sigma face has the same scrunched-up eyebrow down pat, complete with that sly smile and puckered mouth. AI online tools have followed suit and can be prompted to create a sigma face from virtually anyone.
Trending Sigma Face Memes
Whether you dislike sigma culture or consider yourself part of the tribe, the famous Christian Bale’s expression has infiltrated popular culture and is here to stay. Internet just can’t have enough silly sigma faces and these popular memes illustrate this perfectly.
The Real Sigma
Image credits: idont_knowwattoput
Sigma Face vs Binge-Watching Netflix
Image credits: Training-Internal669
Sigma Face Tutorial
Image credits: unknownSigma Male Starter Pack
Image credits: WetToast13
References
- Theodore Robert Beale. “Sigma Goes Mainstream.” Sigma Game, Substack, June 5, 2024. | https://sigmagame.substack.com/p/sigma-goes-mainstream
- Ruchira Sharma. “Sigma grindset: TikTok’s toxic worshipping of Patrick Bateman is another sign young men are lost.” British GQ, November 7, 2022. | https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/lifestyle/article/sigma-grindset-tiktok-trend-2022
- John T. Alexander. “The Sigma Male: What Women Really Want.” Amazon, April 1, 2014. | https://www.amazon.com/Sigma-Male-What-Women-Really/dp/0989968405
- @LilySimpson1312. “Lily Simpson is putting the T(rans) in YouTube.” X, Jan 25, 2021 | https://x.com/LilySimpson1312/status/1353674278722392066
- Steve Rose. “The sad, stupid rise of the sigma male: how toxic masculinity took over social media.” The Guardian, June 12, 2024. | https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jun/12/the-sad-stupid-rise-of-the-sigma-male-how-toxic-masculinity-took-over-social-media
- “American Psycho.” IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0144084/
- Donnovan Smoot. “TikTokers are ‘trying to be like Christian Bale’ with Sigma face trend.” In The Know By Yahoo, February 8, 2023. | https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/tiktokers-trying-christian-bale-sigma-195819234.html?guccounter=1
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A fine actor, most remembered for his outburst on set of Terminator Salvation at cinematographer Shane Hurlbut, which was recorded without his knowledge.
A fine actor, most remembered for his outburst on set of Terminator Salvation at cinematographer Shane Hurlbut, which was recorded without his knowledge.
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2