The rise of the ‘performative male:’ How young men are experimenting with masculinity online
theconversation.com
Gen Z’s ‘performative male’ trend is both mocked and embraced because it exposes deep cultural contradictions around what we expect of masculinity today.

If we are calling out ‘toxic masculinity’ as a society, then why do public responses to softer versions of masculinity shift between curiosity, irony and judgment?

Intro:

Across TikTok and university campuses, young men are rewriting what masculinity looks like today, sometimes with matcha lattes, Labubus, film cameras and thrifted tote bags.

At Toronto Metropolitan University, a “performative male” contest recently drew a sizeable crowd by poking fun at this new TikTok archetype of masculinity. The “performative man” is a new Gen Z term describing young men who deliberately craft a soft, sensitive, emotionally aware aesthetic, signalling the rejection of “toxic masculinity.”

At “performative male” contests, participants compete for laughs and for women’s attention by reciting poetry, showing off thrifted fashion or handing out feminine hygiene products to show they’re one of the “good” guys.

Similar events have been held from San Francisco to London, capturing a wider shift in how Gen Z navigates gender. Research shows that young men are experimenting with gender online, but audiences often respond with humour or skepticism.

This raises an important question: in a moment when “toxic masculinity” is being called out, why do public responses to softer versions of masculinity shift between curiosity, irony and judgment?

  • KoboldCoterie@pawb.socialEnglish
    21·
    16 days ago

    Or to imply that the actions themselves are performative, that is, that they are not acting on genuinely held opinions or beliefs but rather are doing it purely as a courtship ritual. Which in some cases may be the case but as you say, using it as a blanket term really belittles anyone who believes in what they’re doing.

    • Otter Raft@lemmy.caOPEnglish
      9·
      16 days ago

      Yup, this is the context where I usually hear the term used. That the person is pretending, just to get the date

      I think the article did a good job of explaining why this is a problem. It also left off on a positive note:

      A positive sign is that, rather than being defensive, many male creators are leaning into the joke and using parody as a way to explore what a more sensitive man might look like.

      And perhaps the “performative male” trend holds up a mirror to our own contradictions. We demand authenticity but consume performance; we beg men to change but critique them when they try; we ask for vulnerability yet recoil when it looks too forced.

      The “performative male” may look ironic, but he’s also experimenting with what it means to be a man today.

      Whether that experiment leads to lasting change or just another online trend remains unclear, but it’s a glimpse of how masculinity is being rewritten, latte by latte.

      • ctenidium@lemmy.world
        2·
        15 days ago

        In my opinion that is the best these men can do. Just owning it in a carefree way while having fun doing so. I think that is really a “Chad” move. It also is really revealing the double standards.