Matcha. Labubu. Tote bag. Feminist Literature. Clairo. A new species of guy has arrived: the “performative male”. Merriam-Webster defines the performative male as “a man who engages in stereotypically “sensitive” activities to… appear safe/sophisticated/feminist and thus appeal to women,” often insincerely. Through social media, certain stereotypes about these guys have taken root. Along with the previously mentioned traits, their most important one is the need to be viewed doing these actions. No matter the time or place, even when inconvenient or strange, they are seldom without a novel in hand, and wired headphones in their ears.
Though the performative male was at one point sincere, his discovery by the general public has led to a wave of ironic copycats. Around the country, and even at the University of Oregon, performative male contests have sprung up. At these events, flannel-wearing participants show off their outfits, test on their knowledge of musicians like Laufey or Mitski, and find the most poetic and empowering words by which to describe women.
The performative male isn’t gone, we just haven’t found him again. He’s still out, just with a new coat of paint, and a new set of activities he now pretends to enjoy in his quest to find a girlfriend. To many, it was easy to spot his disingenuous feelings towards what he claims to love doing, and just as the matcha-drinking, paperback-thumbing performative male was discovered, there will come a day when his next iteration is unmasked. But maybe, there’s a deeper reason why we laugh at him. At some level, we are all performative at heart. While most people are not performing to the same level as he, many of us still have areas of our lives where we are similarly dishonest. So instead of making fun of him, take a moment to reflect on how we can all be truer to ourselves.
Article by Oscar Guillemin
The Axe 