From reading Jane Austen books to listening to Clairo’s latest releases, the performative male trend is at an all-time high with the influence it has on this generation. Merriam-Webster defines a performative male as a man who engages in stereotypically “sensitive” activities to appeal to women. Alessandra Lasmarias (10) described the typical performative man as someone who sips coffee or matcha, wearing baggy denim pants with a carabiner holding accessories like a Labubu, and a messenger or tote bag on his shoulder. SHHS students give their take on this rampant social media trend.
Ayden Sun (12), originally found out about “performative males” through TikTok, but had been dressing in a “performatively” manner before it became a trend. Sun shared his own take on performative men and what it means to him as someone who “pioneered” it.
“I think [performative] is just a joke,” Sun said. “It’s more of a bandwagon thing. People would pioneer [performative males], but once people start copying them, it gets too mainstream, and that’s when it gets on people’s nerves.”
Sun reflected on how this performative trend has made this generation more judgmental- assuming one’s character based on their appearance. Sun has faced some “performative male” allegations due to his fashion sense; although he does feel performative through fashion, he doesn’t align his values/personality with the trend.
“[A] guy can dress super nicely, [but people will] jump to conclusions, they’ll think he’s [performative],” Sun said. “I have some very performative outfits, but it [doesn’t] define who I am. People [use fashion] to express themselves, [and] I just want to dress the way I want to.”
Hiram Pierce (11) described his take on performative men, noting how they defy gender norms, especially in fashion.
“It’s nice that you don’t have to conform to super hypermasculine stereotypes anymore, you can dress in a more flamboyant way [now],” Pierce said. “[Performative outfits can be] a fun way to express yourself.”
Pierce revealed how the “performative male” archetype can affect the genuineness of one’s personality. Performative men try to attract women by pretending to be thoughtful on philosophical or controversial topics, or by acting like a typical “gentleman” to appeal to women’s good qualities.
“The idea of faking your personality [to look] cool or [attract] women casts a bad light on you,” Pierce said. “[Pretending] to be deep and thoughtful cheapens the ideals [you] talk about, like feminism.”
Lasmarias offered her own take on “performative males” through a woman’s lens. Lasmarias has a negative stance on this archetype as she knows it’s used as a joke on social media and as a manual for men who want to attract people by being performative.
“[If performative men] enjoy the stuff they do and if that gives them confidence and [happiness], then I think [it’s] fine,” Lasmarias said. “[But it has led] people to be less genuine [because they] do things [based on] what other people see them as. [They don’t] choose to be themselves [or embrace] what they like.”
