In recent months, a new trend has emerged on TikTok, with Gen Z holding public contests to award the best impressions of a “performative male.” This term refers to young men who have curated an alternative, intellectual, and “soft” aesthetic, often with the intention of appealing to progressive women. Indicators of a “performative male” include drinking matcha, reading feminist literature, listening to women singer-songwriters, and carrying emergency tampons. This trend is seen as a playful poke at men who genuinely enjoy these activities, similar to the celebrity lookalike contests that gained popularity last year. However, some have a more cynical interpretation of the “performative male,” questioning whether their tastes and behaviors are all an act. This archetype joins a group of suspicious masculine stereotypes, such as the “wife guy” and “male manipulator,” that the internet has long questioned. (Yahoo!)
