Warning effective!!! 🚨 : 2025-to present times– the Performative Male “Epidemic”.Â
BY Ayana Bhatnagar, Madison Bullard, and Kaitlyn Ngo
Featured Image: Michael Belmondo, freshman, showing his performativeness on Performative Male day.
Some might not know “performative males” by name, but you may know them by their actions and appearance. They are the guys who drink matcha, collect labubus, and listen to music artists like Laufey in their wired headphones; the men who infest the hallways of Logan with their “annoying” presence. But, is their presence disturbing people around the school, or is it the standards that social media has engraved in our minds?
A performative male is a guy who changes himself to be more trendy and appealing to others, usually women. They can also be defined as somewhat annoying men who stick to what social media deems “popular” and try to fit in with society’s evolving standards. But, is this as big of an issue as the internet has led us all to believe? Actually, no performative males are not really a problem. Social media can affect someone’s decisions, but sometimes it’s not about following the latest media craze and it’s about doing what makes someone happy. Human beings are influenced everyday by a multitude of things, making up identity. Although social media does take a part in shaping identity, ultimately it’s up to each individual to decide who they want to be.
Let’s dive into the mind of a performative male. While asking whether or not he believes performative males are a problem, Ketav Korke (freshman) says, “It’s not bad and it’s not good. It just is.” A self-defined performative male, Ketav explains that his love for matcha and labubus doesn’t make him a bad or annoying person. It makes him himself. Though people tend to make the idea of performative males a much larger issue than they actually are, they do not make an impact on most of our lives. They seem more content to live the rest of their lives drinking matcha and walking around with their button up shirts.
Most around Logan don’t even seem to care much about the labubu lovers, instead seeming indifferent about them. Out of everyone that took the survey, the majority, 63.1% say they are fine with them or don’t particularly care about their presence. Social media may influence someone’s thoughts about performative males, but in the end most feel neutral on the topic. When deciding whether or not you hate performative men, remember that they are people too with their own thoughts and feelings.
Micheal Belmondo (freshman), a “performative male” on the outside, but a man just trying to wear labubu’s in peace on the inside, expresses that he doesn’t act “performative” for others, but for himself instead. He believes that the only person to determine one’s identity is oneself. Micheal says, “To me, a performative male is somebody who does things for others. Well, I don’t think that’s me personally, because I do everything for myself […] it’s for me.” Instead of looking at performative males as inferior, people should look at them as an equal. If a man wants to dress up to get attention from ladies, or if he just likes button up shirts and jewelry, let him! As a society, we shouldn’t look down on people for their appearance. There is more to someone than what meets the eye. Some may look at Micheal and see nothing more than a guy trying to impress others, however, to be performative is to alter your personality and appearance for those around you. If Micheal truly does things for himself, then people can’t define him as a performative male.
There are people who may look at performative males as a nuisance or an unoriginal group of men, but this can be pinpointed to the evolving and impossible standards that social media enforces. Oliver Estoesta (freshman) says “When you’re really trying to be like other people, it kind of just takes away from the individuality of yourself.” Those that seek to be like others on social media end up becoming different, ingenuine people rather than following something they like. It’s conforming. And it’s not you anymore. Oliver talks vividly about the effects that social media has on one’s identity: “Then you start slowly trying to build up to that standard, and then that’s just not you, and I feel like that can be seen a lot in social media.” Performative males look at social media and see a persona and style they relate to, while others see an annoying trend that brings out desperate men trying to impress people. If a performative male finds comfort in listening to Clairo and wearing button up tee-shirts, who are we to judge? We all like our own things and have our own preferences. Why can’t we allow performative males to live how they want? Social media often tells us to follow a certain path or to agree with what the majority say. But while some find comfort in following the trends, others should be free to express themselves however they please. So next time you see a male walking down the halls of Logan in their button-up shirt, drinking matcha, or even wearing a labubu, don’t judge them, because there is more to the performative male than we believe.
