The Manipulated Man

• The Manipulated Man* (1971), written by Esther Vilar and translated into English by Eva Borneman, argues that women in industrialized cultures manipulate men to their advantage rather than being oppressed. Vilar claims that men are conditioned to seek approval from women, associating their sense of masculinity with their ability to be intimate with them. She describes this conditioning as comparable to the way dogs were trained in classical experiments.

The book suggests that social norms, such as viewing women as weak or dependent, have been constructed by women to meet their needs, giving them more freedom and power in society. Vilar asserts that women use tactics like emotional blackmail, exaggerated displays of emotion, and praise to control men and extract resources from them. She also criticizes traditional concepts of love and marriage, arguing that they are tools used by women to manipulate men into providing financial support.

Vilar faced significant controversy for her views. In 1975, she participated in a televised debate with Alice Schwarzer, a leading figure in Germany's feminist movement, where Schwarzer accused Vilar of being "sexist" and compared her book to Nazi propaganda. Despite the backlash, *The Manipulated Man* gained popularity, particularly in Spain, where its Spanish edition was the third-best-selling book in 1975.