Social Europe | BalkansCat/Shutterstock
One particularly harmful manifestation of this is the glorification of war criminals and perpetrators of violence as embodiments of ‘real men’. A real man is perceived as tough, emotionless, often prone to violence, mirroring these wartime idols. Such men often view women solely as childbearing machines and seek ways to humiliate them to demonstrate their dominance. This is evident in a new trend of Balkan Telegram groups with highly degrading names. Above: ‘Real men’: a scene in a traditional kafana in Ruma, Serbia