This week I received several angry messages after writing an article about involuntarily celibate men, or incels, and the misogynist forums where they talk about looksmaxing .

Most came from members of these forums, including a man who sent me a sarcasm-riddled email suggesting I could use some information firsthand. So I called him.

On the phone, he spoke softly and repeatedly apologized for seeming anxious. I dont talk to people often, he said, asking that I refer to him only as Eric, which is not his real name.

Eric, 19, has never had sex. Asked whether hes ever kissed a girl, he laughed. Like so many other dejected men who populate incel groups, he believes he will be alone forever an inescapable fate he blames on his perceived ugliness. He says he feels hopeless, unwanted and deeply angry at women and society for rejecting him.