The Performative Male: A Gen-Z Social Analysis

“Performative Man” has become a commonplace expression in Gen-Z spaces. It has almost become a cultural piece, with people hosting public competitions to see who can play into the performative man caricature as hard as possible. Marist has even conducted its own rendition earlier in the fall semester. So what is it with this obsession with this new brand of men? And why is it assumed to be performative?

First, we must understand what makes up the performative man. Generally, the performative male at its most hyperbolic carries around a matcha latte and tote bag (bonus points if it’s Trader Joe's and/or with a Labubu). Often sporting a mustache, over-the-knee jorts, Birkenstocks and wired earbuds playing Clairo. Walking around in luxury shoes, reading the first pages of an Angela Davis or bell hooks book.

It is assumed that these performative men are consciously presenting themselves with traditionally feminine media to attract women, rather than being genuinely interested in this media. Historically speaking, it is not new for women to be skeptical of men’s authenticity in the dating scene. But it is interesting for us to assume a particular level of inauthenticity with this type of man, rather than just men across the board. 

Previously, the perspective on traditional masculinity was that it needed to be reworked. The general understanding is that traditional masculinity enables the general dismissal of women and their accomplishments, work, characteristics, values and individual rights. This new brand of masculinity does challenge this stereotype. 

The issue isn’t so much the appearance as the inauthenticity that comes with it. It is easy to profile and stereotype people; it is a part of our nature. But we must challenge it to be more open as a society. The performance must be determined through interaction and sustained observation, not because someone is carrying around an acoustic guitar in public.

Social media enables this assumption. Many of us believe that our personal algorithms reflect society, like how TikTok provides its users with a “For You” page, when in reality, they are ultimately targeted towards the user. This mirror presents itself as a window, and with it, it disillusions our understanding of the world around us. 

Our algorithms create division and identity confusion. As identities are being sold left, right and center, different aesthetics, such as coastal cowgirl, eclectic grandpa, clean girl, etc., are being thrown at us, saturating our understanding of what it means to be. The performative male falls under this social media identity umbrella. 

Famously, René Descartes said, “I think, therefore I am.” This quote has historically been interpreted more or less as “I think therefore I exist,” though I argue it can be applied to our identities. In this interpretation, identity would lie with the beholder. And in our current social climate, this couldn’t be further from our understanding of identity. 

Our phones tell us who we are, what to believe and what other people are. This enables real-life division. Public interaction is discouraged, as we are all enabled to sit on our phones to pass the time in middle places such as elevators or a line at the dining hall. 

This fosters the perspective that other people around us aren’t real people. Slang such as “NPC” or “Bot,” although funny, is dehumanizing when talking about our peers and classmates. If we spoke to people more often, we would understand that people are their own complex characters with original, fascinating stories. Without this, there is less empathy, and we reinforce a lack of comprehension of people's complex motives in presentation. 

When you look at a man crocheting, it can’t be because he grew up doing it with his mom or genuinely enjoys it; it has to be because it has to be to attract a woman. This same logic is applied to women with “pick me” girls. Women can’t be into football because they grew up around it or simply like it; it is because they want to attract a man. 

Gen-Z recognizes when gender stereotypes are being broken, and assigns dull, simple, uncomplex, inhuman and inauthentic motives for this presentation. 

That said, it would still be naive to say that there aren’t performative, manipulative men, and it is normal to worry whether the person you are speaking to actually is who they say they are. But this worry isn’t a new thing. 

If we truly want progress, we must communicate and reinforce ideas that challenging gender stereotypes is okay, and that it is, in fact, supported when someone breaks the mold. If not, we won’t see progression towards a more open future. So remember to be open, talk with your neighbor, meet new people, live harder and life will taste sweeter.