From “Fucking Panza Mileurista to Millionaire”: Work, Discipline, and Success in the Manosphere

Abstract

In contemporary contexts, work is often presented not only as a means of subsistence but also as a life project that demands total dedication, continuous improvement, and personal sacrifice. This study analyses how this ethic of effort is constructed and legitimised through Instagram videos posted by content creator Amadeo Llados from January to May 2024. Using critical discourse analysis as a methodological tool, the research examines the strategies Llados employs to promote an individualistic vision of success, in which personal achievement is portrayed as the exclusive result of willpower, discipline, and an appropriate mindset. A central dimension of these discourses is the training of the body as both a metaphor and a vehicle for personal success, in which physical practice serves as a symbol of control, perseverance, and merit. The body thus emerges as a form of capital in itself: shaped, managed, and optimised according to logics of efficiency and self-improvement. Within this framework, work is construed as a moral identity, while failure is presented as an individual responsibility. The study situates these contents within the digital ecosystem of the manosphere, a space in which models of masculinity associated with control, productivity, and self-sufficiency are reinforced. It is argued that these videos contribute to the normalisation of forms of self-exploitation while simultaneously obscuring the structural dimensions of inequality and labour precariousness. The research also addresses how work and the body are re-signified on digital platforms such as Instagram and how these platforms operate as devices that legitimise neoliberal logics.