A lot of submissions on FDS have begun to conflate what LVM, ZVM, and NVM are. It normalizes terrible behavior. Here's a refresher on the Handbook and why these labels matter here.

  • Low-Value Male (LVM)

A low-value male adds some value to your life, but not enough to be considered a HVM. There is no such thing as "medium-value" or "some-value" here. All men that have not proven themselves to be HVM are LVM at best.

Are you dating someone new who has "some HVM traits" but you don't know him well enough yet? He is a LVM.

Are you friends with someone who is enjoyable company, but doesn't really make your life better otherwise? He is a LVM.

Do you love your male family member, but he's got flaws that you wish he would fix, though not enough that you wish he'd stop contacting you? He is a LVM.

Low-value does not mean someone is bad. It means they add so little to your life that they are not worth the effort of keeping them. You are not a pickme. Let them put in the effort until they have proven themselves to be HVM. Only HVM are worth your effort and attention.

  • Zero-Value Male (ZVM)

A man who does not add or take away from your life. He is a true neutral. This doesn't make him good/bad, it simply means your life wouldn't have a net improvement or loss with him gone.

For example, it might be an acquaintance or friend that you see now and then, but neither of you goes out of your way to interact. It might be your boss, who, other than work-related issues, never has an impact on your life. It might be a sibling that you don't talk to much except at family gatherings.

Zero-value does not mean bad. It just means neutral or a wash. Someone who isn't worthy of your effort to stay in touch or push them away.

I'll say it even more plainly: BEING A DECENT HUMAN BEING IS ZERO-VALUE. It isn't a plus, it isn't a high-value trait, it isn't anything at all. It is the base-line.

  • Negative-Value Male (NVM)

"A male that subtracts value from your life. He leaves your life worse off than before - these are men that women should avoid. Even Pickemeisha's deserve a better fate." - Glossary of Terms

These are the men you should remove from your life. These men are abusive, proudly sexist, violent, gaslighting, sabotaging, etc. These are the predators and the criminals. You should avoid them, and if they keep trying to get into your life, put in the effort to cut them off completely.

They do not need to be all of those things. Any man who is a net negative in your life is a NVM, regardless of how far on the scale he is.

  • Why should we bother being so precise? We all know what OP means when they talk about LVM anyway!

So many of the posts on here, whether memes or stories or crossposts, are actually about NVM. But the OPs are so indoctrinated with the idea that this behavior is normal that they think this means the man in question is just low value.

If a man is a negative in your life, he is a Negative-Value Male. Stop normalizing that behavior by labeling NVM as LVM. Don't set your baseline below NVM behavior. Mark NVM for what they are. Do not sugarcoat things.