What Is Performative Male Personality? Not Just Wearing a Tote Bag and Drinking Matcha
YOGYAKARTA - Recently, social media has been abuzz with the term "performative male." This term has gone viral on various platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and X. This trend has even grown to the point of spawning competitions in various countries.
In Indonesia, a performative male competition was held on Saturday, August 2nd, at Taman Langsat, South Jakarta. The competition, initiated by the X account @alergikiwi, declared Keenan Avalokita, son of writer and musician Dewi Lestari, the grand winner.
But what exactly is "performative male"? Why is this term so captivating, and what impact does it have on popular culture and social behavior, especially among the younger generation?
What Is Performative Male?
Simply put, performative male is a term referring to men who display or flaunt certain attributes, tastes, or behaviors that women find attractive. This is done not because of their true interests or personality, but rather as part of a self-image or a kind of identity drama.
This behavior can manifest itself in many forms, such as wearing an indie band t-shirt they've never heard of, reading feminist literature in public, carrying a tote bag, drinking matcha, or playing an acoustic guitar in the park while discussing philosophy or politics.
Essentially, these actions are performed in public and often intended for posting on social media, not simply as a part of their identity.
According to Esquire, the performative male phenomenon emerged among Generation Z, especially men in their 20s, who are active on TikTok and Instagram. In an effort to present themselves as open-minded, sensitive, intellectual, and artistic, many of them deliberately adopt tastes and lifestyles associated with sensitivity and emotional maturity.
This is believed to be attractive to modern women who desire partners with emotional communication skills and progressive perspectives. However, beneath all this lies a sense of insecurity about authenticity.
Many netizens are beginning to question whether this behavior truly reflects who they truly are, or is it simply a strategy to attract attention? This is where the term performative male takes on a satirical and critical position.
In practice, this phenomenon is often used as a joke on social media. For example, the meme of a man asking, "What's your favorite Clairo album?" while sipping matcha and holding out a disposable camera has become a common template for the performative male image.
Similarly, a man wearing a pumpkin toy around his waist, with a half-rolled skullcap and a neatly groomed mustache, is often cited as an example of this trend. Ironically, despite the ridicule, the trend remains popular.
Are You A Performative Male?
This question is a question many young men are pondering today. Do they truly enjoy these things, or are they simply doing them to appear relevant to the public, especially women?
As reported by Stuff.co.nz, the simple test below can help identify this tendency:
- Have you ever let a woman's taste influence your music taste?
- Do you pretend to like a particular book or movie to appear "informed"?
- Do you follow trends simply for social validation?
- Do you feel the need to style yourself a certain way on social media to appear attractive?
If you answered "yes" to several points, you might fall into the performative male category, although this doesn't necessarily mean it's inherently bad.
The performative male phenomenon demonstrates how masculine identity is shifting in the modern era. Between efforts to break free from traditional masculine stereotypes and the push to stay relevant in the digital space, complex and sometimes paradoxical behaviors emerge.
More than just a style or trend, performative male reflects how the younger generation navigates identity, emotions, and self-image in the fast-changing, visual era of social media.
Is this a healthy form of self-expression, or just empty imagery? Perhaps the answer lies in how genuinely we live out our chosen identities.