He walks among us. One may think that he’s just another Claremont student with a love for literature and a sweet treat, but the truth is something far more calculated. In fact, that tote bag full of Angela Davis and Labubus that he’s always carrying around — purely ornamental. They stand as props in the act that many have come to call “the performative male.”
On Saturday, Sept. 6, students across the Claremont Colleges gathered at Pomona to compete in a performative male contest. The occasion was convened to address the pressing question of who could best emulate the infamous performative male archetype — someone who uses graphic totes and drinks matcha purely for the aesthetic value.
“Woman-loving, woman-respecting, Labubus, matcha, feminist literature, guitars, wired earbuds, rock climbing accessories and always something vintage and something environmentally conscious,” Ethan Vicknair PO ’28 said when asked to describe a performative male.
“Woman-loving, woman-respecting, Labubus, matcha, feminist literature, guitars, wired earbuds, rock climbing accessories and always something vintage and something environmentally conscious”
His words seemed to come to life as students flocked to the lawn. Pants sagged low across Smith Campus Courtyard, weighed down by carabiners strung with countless trinkets. Some had even positioned pads and tampons to poke out from their pockets.
The contest started with spectators huddled around as the judges interviewed contestants, having them answer questions in character. Draped in hand-cropped collared shirts and Arcteryx beanies, they humorously bemoaned period cramps and the patriarchy. Some offered up sections of their poetry, others began reading aloud from their favorite novels and one contestant performed a guitar solo.
For the final round, judges asked contestants to bring up a woman who could speak on their behalf. Allegedly, contestants had made emergency period product runs, bought spontaneous gifts and even delivered heating pads to their female friends in need. The competition was brought to a close with Manar Hadi PO ’27 kneeling at the feet of his friend, placing his Trader Joe’s tote bag and watered-down matcha to the side. The crowd cheered rapturously at the sight of such adoration.
“The free matcha was definitely a huge draw, but I think the popularity [of this event] also ties into a broader cultural moment,” Renee Tian PO ’27, the only female judge of the event, said. “The satire of ‘performativity’ offers us the space to critique gender performance, social validation and identity-creation, while subverting toxic masculinity in a lighthearted way.”
In addition to being lively and fun, the event raised questions and thoughts for attendees on how this stereotype arose and why it has become so popular. Most students were familiar with the exact archetype the contestants sought to impersonate, due to its potent presence on social media platforms. Some claimed to have seen performative men across the colleges.
“[The label performative male] can work either way. If anyone genuinely likes listening to Clairo and reading feminist literature, that’s good. But I think also, if your intention is to kind of use that art and media for very bad purposes, then I guess it could be bad,” contestant Omar Cabello PO ’26 said. “Not knowing the context of a situation is one thing, because I think, you might be like, ‘Oh yeah, I love Maya Angelou,’ but you may not know the context in which Maya Angelou came up in, or her literature. So it could be a disservice to actual good academia and other art.”
Although people agree it is nice when men are interested in things that were previously viewed to be exclusively feminine, from American singer Clairo to advocacy in reproductive rights, the main point of tension is when they do so with ulterior motives — namely, to hit on women.
“There is a point where we can make fun of it, and that is when a man tries to capitalize [on it] or gain something out of doing these things without it being their personality. [That is] when it is actually performative.” Mauro Gutierrez Muniz PO ’28 said while spectating.
However, there is also something deeper to be said about jumping to the conclusion of performance simply because it is unfamiliar. Some noted that this label has been inflated to a point where it makes it difficult for men to seem genuine when liking things of this genre.
“The performative male is such a big thing right now because we love to [ridicule] anything that is feminine in society — when we see a man doing feminine things, we think that’s funny or we think that’s performative,” Gutierrez Muniz said. “This is a symptom of us going back to stricter gender roles. We got to a point where the barrier was starting to be broken, and then it broke too much.”
Some students also reflected on how much pressure there is for men to stay within a category of masculinity. They had discussed how it had been nice to see people get in touch with their feminine sides. Setting aside the performative aspects, everyone just appreciated that interests could be shared within a wider community.
“Before the contest began, one contestant introduced himself and read us some of his own poetry,” Tian said. “It was unexpected, catching a glimpse of his sincerity amidst the performances.”
Similarly, contestant Anbo Li PO ’26 revealed that the Haruki Murakami and Byung-Chul Han books, which he had brought as props for his costume, were genuinely annotated and some of his favorite reads.
The contest was lighthearted, but lingering moments like these revealed why the performative male resonates with so many. The event gave Pomona’s matcha-drinkers the opportunity to lean into a joke, and proved that people are quick to judge one another. More than anything, it showed just how thin the line is between sincerity and performance.
Facebook Comments