Throughout this past summer and now into the fall, a new trend has swamped men from their outfits to their ways of presenting themselves.
The term “performative males” categorizes young men who adopt a specific aesthetic and persona to appear more sensitive, cultured and likable, often to appeal to progressive women.
Asa Gallop, a senior at Ida B. Wells High School, says, “[When I hear the term ‘performative male’] regarding items, I think reading books at a coffee shop or like ‘matcha,’ or maybe even like beanies or a dude with a mustache.”
The concept was initially popularized on social media and includes younger men wearing tote bags, drinking matcha, dressing in oversized thrifted clothes, listening to Clairo and wearing Labubus, which are popular fuzzy doll keychains.
They are often reading feminist literature and works that aim to signal their intellectualism to the female gaze. Such works can include “Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy, “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood, “The Invisible Man” by Ralph Ellison and various works by Sylvia Plath.
Older texts that highlight female characters, as well as social and female activism books, are only one of the ways these men are trying to appeal to women.
This idea has swept social media, with some using it as a joke and others adopting the lifestyle. With more recognition of “performative males” also comes more social acceptance for men to be more feminine.
Gallop says promoting these ideals can be positive. “What I see a lot is there’s a big thing about dudes reading in public… I think that’s kind of crazy. Just read wherever you want, like, if I see a guy or a girl reading in public, I’m like ‘hey, that’s cool, you’re reading, promote reading to young people,’” he says.
The term “performative male” originated from philosopher Judith Butler in her 1990 book “Gender Trouble.” Her idea being that gender is not an innate trait rather a “performance” of learned behaviors. Butler argued that gender is constructed through repeated actions, dress and social cues, which is the foundation of the modern understanding of performativity.
Some feel that “performative males” are detrimental to those who truly do “performative things” independently and apart from the trend.
“There’s also a negative side, if like a dude is really a genuine authentic guy and that’s just how he is, there’s almost a…for lack of a better word, but there’s a punishment societally on him where he will not be able to operate how he was before this trend of ‘performative males’ arose,” Gallop says. “It would hurt your self-esteem if that’s just who I was and now I’m being made fun of for being a ‘performative dude’ or whatever.”
“Performative males” can also be attributed as a push back to the “red pill” content. Creators like Andrew Tate, a “red pill” content creator who pushes a far-right, traditional and often misogynistic rhetoric at young men.
Tate shares things such as, “Moody females steal your power. It’s dangerous for a man. A man must remain focused,” and “One of the “41 Tenets of Tateism” suggests: “If you want to be rich, dump your girlfriend,” in reference to his published book, “The Tate Bible – Book II: The New Testament.”
The origin of the “performative male” social media trend is much more recent. According to parents.com, “This shift has happened because of toxic masculinity. There’s been a shift from the alpha bro to a more chill, nice guy. This is a trend for men to be more soft and more fashion-forward.”
Ideals of pushing men in this “red pill” method can be disruptive and toxic in the ways we view male actions and their relationships with females. But “performative males” also don’t necessarily offer such a healthy view of relationships with women.
“I think guys see it as a chance if they appear more in tune with their feminine side, they see it as an opportunity to get with more women,” Gallop says.
Overall, the “performative male” trend highlights how masculinity is a changing spectrum, for better or worse. Ultimately, the trend shows how the line can be blurred between sincere identity and social performance.
