If you’ve ever been yelled at by a guy, harassed by an annoying finance guy at a bar, or wanted to get revenge on the guy who harassed your best friend, a new book has 109 sentences guaranteed to make a man see the light of day, according to them.
And it was written by someone who calls himself a “gender traitor.”
Kyle Prue – who wrote his first book when he was just 18 and has nearly five million followers on social media – has summarised his viral TikTok series in the handbook How to make men angryin which he describes in detail how, according to him, you can quickly and mercilessly destroy the male ego.
Prue from LA starts by clarifying: ‘Making someone angry is, strictly speaking, not a good or nice thing to do.
“But if you’re going to do it, I advise you to do it discreetly and with surgical precision.”
“I like your blouse” — a line that may not exactly cut to the core of Harry Styles’ masculinity, but Kyle says it irritates pretty much every other guy (as long as they’re wearing a shirt)
“I love your cosplay” – do not use this on Travis Kelce, or any other real athlete
And he adds, as a warning: “Use the insults in this book only if you feel safe and comfortable doing so. Public spaces and witnesses are not just good armor; they are good audiences.”
He insists he didn’t start the series because he hates men. But because, he says, “I think it’s time for men to take our cultural medicine. To let our anger inform our pain and ultimately heal us.”
‘I like your blouse’
According to Kyle, this works for almost any man, as long as he’s wearing a shirt.
“I thought your voice would be deeper”
Need to escape a disastrous Hinge date? This one’s worth its weight in gold.
‘Oh, I saw that on Pinterest’
Kyle suggests using this particular phrase when a guy is bragging about something he’s interested in, or showing you one of his tattoos. It will do one of two things:
- Drive a stake into the heart of his ambitions for originality.
- The words of comedian Ali Wong keep echoing in his head: “If a man has a Pinterest, he’s probably Pinterested into men.”
“I love your cosplay”
That guy who always wears a gym uniform? He’s going to hate this and probably respond with something like, “It’s not cosplay.” To which you’re like, “Well, it is… you’re not really a basketball/football/baseball player.”
‘That’s right’
Say this when he tells you his zodiac sign.
Apparently even men who like James Corden don’t want to be compared to him
Kyle Prue Confesses To Being A ‘Gender Traitor’ With His Book How To P*** Off Men
“You remind me of James Corden”
Of course, he’s going to wonder why you think that. When you ask, you respond with, “Oh, you’re just funny the way he’s funny.” Kyle says, “Even guys who like James Corden don’t want to be James Corden.”
Call his outburst a tantrum
Guaranteed to make him even more angry. It’s probably best not to use this line if he’s already past the wall punching threshold, Kyle advises.
‘You would make such a good Frodo’
Ideally, this conversation should happen while you’re watching Lord of the Rings with. Then you can pause and add, “Do you even know who you might be?”
He hopes you say Aragorn, the tough hero played by Viggo Mortensen.
“Samwise,” you might say, referring to the loyal, but slightly fat, not-so-bright hobbit.
Kyle notes, however, that the effectiveness of this conversation depends entirely on how big of a Lord of the Rings fan the target is.
“A true fan knows that Samwise is actually the best character,” he says. “In this case, Boromir is going to be the most devastating burn.”
When watching Lord of the Rings, the biggest pain is comparing a man to Boromir (left), while a true fan knows that Samwise (right) is the best character
“You have the confidence of a much taller man”
Disclaimer: Do not use this with a guy you are trying to get into a relationship with. Once you say it, there is no going back – unless he has a really good sense of humor.
‘I am here’
This one comes with some very specific instructions. It should only be done in the middle of the night and turn your phone off immediately after sending.
Kyle then advises him to wait “as many days as you want” before finally texting him back saying, “Sorry, wrong person.”
‘Ooh-la-la’
This works for anyone who considers themselves classy, but especially for someone who proudly tells you they went to an Ivy League college.
“Men from America’s ‘best and brightest’ institutions are ruining whatever coolness it affords them by not shutting up about it for the rest of their lives,” Kyle said.
For example, the conversation might look like this:
She: ‘I went to Penn.’
You: ‘Penn State?’
She: ‘No, Penn.’
You: ‘What’s the difference?’
She: ‘Penn is an Ivy.’
You: ‘Ooh-la-la!’
How to Make Men Angry: 109 Things to Say to Break the Male Ego by Kyle Prue is published by Sourcebooks