Performative male contest - Ishika Desai, @ishika.photo
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Turns out you don’t need to fork out for a West End show to see the performance of a lifetime. Enter stage left: The Performative Male.
The performative male is Gen-Z’s latest invention.
Find him wielding a tote bag, drinking a matcha latte and reading Sylvia Plath upside down. He wants your attention and has a tampon if you need one. The online trend takes aim at young men adopting feminist values and interests, for the sole purpose of female attention.
Contestants were armed with period products – Courtesy of Ishika Desai, @ishika.photo
In theory they are men written by women, someone Sally Rooney invented. Yet, how much of it is an act?
The craze has even sparked viral contests around the world to crown the most performative male.
Last weekend, it was London’s turn.
Posers descended on Soho Square to battle it out to be named the city’s top performer, and competition was fierce.
Performative male contestants – Courtesy of Ishika Desai, @ishika.photo
It was all about artificial aesthetics
Contestants pulled out all the stops. There were impassioned speeches supporting “women’s rights and wrongs!”
One threw tampons to the cheering crowd. Another made his own matcha to cheers from the crowd.
A duo even brought out a guitar and led a passionate singalong of Creepby Radiohead.
“I don’t really like the word performative” said contestant Alexander. He brought a record player because he prefers the way it makes the music sound – he won the contest.
Contestants delivered speeches to the crowds – Courtesy of Ishika Desai, @ishika.photo
But what happens when they break character?
The idea of a ‘performative male’ seems to hinge on the manipulation of women. It mirrors the rise of online personalities like Andrew Tate, who openly claims to be the “king of toxic masculinity”. This concerning parallel raises the question: are these faux feminists any better?
Glenta Ekhaguere, organiser of London’s contest, says “it’s more about their behaviour rather than what they’re wearing.”
For her, it’s a question of morality, where men are entering “women’s spaces in a very surface level way.”
Performative male essentials – Courtesy of Ishika Desai, @ishika.photo
Knowledge is clearly lacking.
Outside of the thrifted shirts and Labubus on display at the contest ignorance to women’s issues is widespread. When asked, most male Londoners did not shy away from their own lack of understanding.
One man said, “I have a lot to learn” , despite being raised by a mother who was “very vocal about feminism.”
Another said men are “probably not” informed on women’s issues. When asked if it’s possible to learn, he had the same answer.
Only one man confidently believed he knew enough. Though when asked to name a piece of feminist literature, he came up empty. Perhaps a performative male whose mask was slipping.
What started as a light-hearted trend actually shines a spotlight on a lack of knowledge needing to be addressed. It does seem that all the world’s a stage and all the performative men are taking it too far.
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Standfirst
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HeadlineThirsty Theatrics: The Problematic Performative Male
Short HeadlineThe Problematic Performative Male
StandfirstThey claim to feel your (period) pain but should we be worried about Gen-Z's latest trend?
Turns out you don’t need to fork out for a West End show to see the performance of a lifetime. Enter stage left: The Performative Male.
The performative male is Gen-Z’s latest invention.
Find him wielding a tote bag, drinking a matcha latte and reading Sylvia Plath upside down. He wants your attention and has a tampon if you need one. The online trend takes aim at young men adopting feminist values and interests, for the sole purpose of female attention.
Contestants were armed with period products – Courtesy of Ishika Desai, @ishika.photo
In theory they are men written by women, someone Sally Rooney invented. Yet, how much of it is an act?
The craze has even sparked viral contests around the world to crown the most performative male.
Last weekend, it was London’s turn.
Posers descended on Soho Square to battle it out to be named the city’s top performer, and competition was fierce.
Performative male contestants – Courtesy of Ishika Desai, @ishika.photo
It was all about artificial aesthetics
Contestants pulled out all the stops. There were impassioned speeches supporting “women’s rights and wrongs!”
One threw tampons to the cheering crowd. Another made his own matcha to cheers from the crowd.
A duo even brought out a guitar and led a passionate singalong of Creepby Radiohead.
“I don’t really like the word performative” said contestant Alexander. He brought a record player because he prefers the way it makes the music sound – he won the contest.
Contestants delivered speeches to the crowds – Courtesy of Ishika Desai, @ishika.photo
But what happens when they break character?
The idea of a ‘performative male’ seems to hinge on the manipulation of women. It mirrors the rise of online personalities like Andrew Tate, who openly claims to be the “king of toxic masculinity”. This concerning parallel raises the question: are these faux feminists any better?
Glenta Ekhaguere, organiser of London’s contest, says “it’s more about their behaviour rather than what they’re wearing.”
For her, it’s a question of morality, where men are entering “women’s spaces in a very surface level way.”
Performative male essentials – Courtesy of Ishika Desai, @ishika.photo
Knowledge is clearly lacking.
Outside of the thrifted shirts and Labubus on display at the contest ignorance to women’s issues is widespread. When asked, most male Londoners did not shy away from their own lack of understanding.
One man said, “I have a lot to learn” , despite being raised by a mother who was “very vocal about feminism.”
Another said men are “probably not” informed on women’s issues. When asked if it’s possible to learn, he had the same answer.
Only one man confidently believed he knew enough. Though when asked to name a piece of feminist literature, he came up empty. Perhaps a performative male whose mask was slipping.
What started as a light-hearted trend actually shines a spotlight on a lack of knowledge needing to be addressed. It does seem that all the world’s a stage and all the performative men are taking it too far.
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