My understanding is ER wanted hot blonde sorority girls. Way out of his league. He certainly could have gotten a less attractive girl. So. I don’t think he was a true incel.
The biggest flaw with Rodger was his extreme lack of self awareness. He legitimately expected that wearing designer clothes to college would make women just go up and start talking to him, for example. He refused to consider any other option than what his own misinformed mind told him. Truly he was a mental case in every sense of the word. He may not have been truly an incel but his crimes were still a turning point, as they sparked media interest in the incel phenomenon and brought the issue to the mainstream.
Eliot Rodger was too socially awkward to even get a below average or average looking woman, let alone an above average to elite level sorority female at a top party university.
Lifetime, he only did 1 approach, which resulted in a less than 10 second conversation.
He expected that his designer clothes and BMW 328 would be enough to attract women to him to start conversations. It's possible for a man with designer clothes and a BMW 328 to get some IOIs, but then the man must have enough social skills to close the deal. Eliot Rodger didn't have those social skills.
Also, height and big muscles (like
@sangheilios ) is a better way to attract women and puts a man closer to getting the seduction. Height/muscles will always rank above money/status symbols in attracting.
Because they're preoccupied with it.
They are preoccupied with it because it is a basic human need going unfulfilled. See Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, post #86 in this thread.