The epidemic of Performative Males

Art by Jarisse Nabung

“He knows his moon sign, wears thrifted clothes, and posts aesthetic carousels with captions about healing and self-love.” The Performative Male Era is Here, and We Need to Talk

Do you like matcha? Are you into reading feminist literature? Is your favorite artist Clairo? If you said yes to any of these questions, then you’re probably a victim of the Performative Male Epidemic. 

A performative male is a man, or a boy, that fits into this contemporary archetype in which men adopt certain behaviors, interests, and aesthetics to appeal to women. Some interests a performative male often displays are associated with stereotypical femininity or progressive culture; in some cases, their hobbies include, but aren’t limited to, “reading” feminist literature, listening to female indie musicians, and carrying that Trader Joes tote bag. You may have seen people infected with this disease in your day-to-day life, but here’s a rundown on some traits to look out for so you don’t catch this deadly illness.

One very infectious area to be wary of are those small, but pretty well known, coffee shops. These performative men will be lurking all over these cafes while wearing their wired earbuds and drinking their matcha latte. The importance of matcha lattes in their culture is crucial since it crafts an identity that aligns with trends of minimalism, eco-awareness, and carefully curated self-presentation. Even matcha’s vibrant green color heightens their digital self-branding because of its “Instagrammability.” In reality, they don’t care to actually drink it, and probably think it tastes like grass.

Now what are they even listening to on their cool, hip, and “retro” wired earbuds? Well, unfortunately, they’ve taken over the female indie music industry. They’ve made it part of their ritual in their Performative Male cult; some artists include Clairo, the most common symptom of this disease, Laufey, Beabadoobee, Faye Webster, and the list goes on. These men aren’t even discreet about who they’re listening to either; they want women to know that they’re listening to these pop, indie, and not-so underground artists. It fits this aesthetic and emotional sensibility they want to portray— soft, intimate, and indie, of course. They try to convey this non-traditional masculinity of listening to “girl music” in order to impress progressive women. 

Clairo even retaliated and has tried to stray away from performative men being her main audience; recently, Laufey came out with the song, “Mr. Eclectic,” which pokes fun at male posers who “think they’re so interesting.” However, they don’t know that their lack of authenticity actually weakens their appeal to the “female gaze.” Anyway, Laufey’s new song covers this epidemic and Clairo does the background vocals on the song! 

Recently, there have even been competitions held all around the states. Who is the most performative is usually the headline, and sadly, it’s always a large turnout. It’s a scary sight, and if I were you, I’d be wary and keep my distance. These people also carry around Labubu keychains on their tote or jeans, and I know this is a pretty well known symptom of this disease, but I tried to refrain from adding this horrid creature in this article. 

All in all, despite this article acting as an informational piece, all the ideas and subtle insults I’ve thrown towards this “community” are satirical, and in no way meant to harm or hurt anyone’s feelings. I truly do not care what men do in order to appeal to the female audience. 

However, this article still serves as a PSA addressing the rising phenomenon, or rising epidemic, known as Performative Men.