The idea of being an alpha male has been growing in popularity for years now, and gained even more traction on the internet in the 2010s. More recently, the "Sigma male" came into existence, seemingly out of nowhere, but according to the groups that subscribe to the ideas of male hierarchies, it's always been a thing, just exceedingly rare, but equally desirable to the alpha male. I would argue that much like the idea of alpha males, beta males, etc; sigma males are just another way of placing men in categories while ignoring their own needs and desires. Its creation also offered a way for men who aspired to be alpha, to be granted an easier to attain high status, due to their inability and possibly unwillingness to change.