A deep dive into the performative male

(Stephan Menasche/Sun Assistant Photography Editor) Photo by Stephan Menasche / The Cornell Daily Sun

Changing the dynamics of politics, masculinity and femininity, the music industry, and even a once-niche industry, a surprising social movement has reached many corners of major cities, the internet, and marketing. You’ve probably heard of it, the term “performative.” Particularly, the concept of performative males. While the Oxford Dictionary prefers the definition, “relating to or of the nature of dramatic or artistic performance,” in today’s cultural language, the word takes on a new layer: matcha, Pinterest-worthy aesthetics, vinyls, Labubus, and —most notably—the manipulation of women in the dating scene.

Understanding the Trend

Thanks to TikTok, the Performative Male epidemic reached its peak around July of 2025. Characterized by flannels, accessories, wired headphones, and progressive activities (e.g., listening to indie music, drinking matcha, or reading feminist literature), the trend is commonly seen as a method for men to appeal to women by seeming “relatable.” Jennifer, a woman I met at my local Barnes & Noble explained, “I think it’s when males try to appeal to what’s trendy that females really enjoy…it’s not genuine, it’s just to get their attention.” The trend has been highly endorsed by Gen Z users of social media and has been seen to hit the core of major college institutions and major cities alike. For example, New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, and campuses of NYU or even Yale have seen numerous performative male competitions hit the tracks, crowning the most “performative” man who can best flaunt his literature and music preferences in his participation.

Yet, the question still remains: why is this trend increasingly popular? While the role of TikTok in nesting the Performative Male trend as a new meme has a key role in its popularization, the root cause of more men deciding to become performative is ambiguous. Hannah, another Barnes & Noble shopper explained the trend as a desire for men to “blend in and look cool.” Conversely, Peter, whom I met at Union Square Park, attributes the epidemic to “men feeling more comfortable with who they are.” Clearly, there seem to be multiple possible reasons for the pursuit of this social media trend. While some men may just be using the lifestyle as a leverage into the dating scene, it’s viable that men who enjoy a “performative” lifestyle have always existed, but are only recently feeling the comfort to present their true identities.

The Controversy

But what seems to be the problem? Other than the few women who may be deceived by the “performative” man, the trend is just a couple of men embracing a certain aesthetic, right? Laufey, the jazz-pop singer whom performative men have added onto their artificial playlists disagrees. In “Mr.Electric Man,” from Laufey’s new album, A Matter of Time, released just this August in the midst of the trend, Laufey sings, “Bet you think you're so poetic / Quoting epics and ancient prose / Truth be told, you're quite pathetic,” referring to her opinions surrounding inauthentic “performative” men. Clearly, most performative men are oblivious enough to continue the third act of their one-night-only Broadway show, even after Laufey explicitly rejects their tendency to use her art as part of their own performance (though, as they don’t actually listen to her music, why would they know she’s said such a thing?) But most importantly, musicians themselves–victims of the performative trend– feel that their artistry is being disrespected. Considering an artist’s music as “performative” insinuates the music isn’t good enough to genuinely be enjoyed, as some fans on TikTok have pointed out.

Beyond the potential damage to artistry, though, the recent trend is far more impactful. Labubus, a bunny-shaped doll with wretched teeth and huge eyes, popped into multiple social media users’ feeds this year. Amassing more than $677 million for parent company Pop Mart in just the first half of 2025, the Labubu dolls have become culturally significant – and linked to the performative trend. Supposedly, Labubus would not have seen such rapid growth without the platform performative men have provided. Often seen dangling from messenger and tote bags of these so-called performative men, it’s clear that the two trends have blended, making the performative epidemic not only a cultural phenomenon but also an economic force. Catapulting from a stock price around $10 to nearly $50 at its peak, Pop Mart’s success is largely thanks to performative men.

Yet, while matcha has also become an important cultural marker of performative masculinity, the trend has not significantly changed the wealth of the matcha industry. Though the industry is projected to nearly double in value by 2030, according to journalist Joshua Bote’s findings, performative men have not driven up matcha sales singlehandedly. In fact, Shion Aikawa, consultant to matcha company Stonemill Matcha, hadn’t even heard of the trend, according to Bote’s article, “Performative males didn’t do much for matcha sales.” While the trend may have also given a platform to matcha via social media, there is no research to support this claim.

Political Movement?

On the other hand, the performative male trend is starting to take the image of more than just a 2025 summer trend, but also a political movement. After all, gender is political, and politics is gendered. Ranging from the Women’s Rights Movement to the Stonewall Uprising, history has shown that society’s greatest struggles often center on nonconformity to gender ideals. What may seem normal in today’s society, such as women’s right to vote, masculine femininity, and gender fluidity, are all former privileges that have come after thousands of battles and acts of perseverance shown through many generations. What feels normal about gender for today’s generations was not always traditional, and as we embark on the world of social media and performative males, it seems to me and many other social media users that the trend is more than satirical comedy, but a plea for help from men.

As Judith Butler, renowned gender theorist, has said, “gender is performative, [meaning] there can be no gender identity before the gendered acts, because the acts are continuously constituting the identity.” In other words, Butler deciphers how, in society, the very notion of gender is performative, as gender and one’s orientation are constructed through the beliefs that specific acts are geared towards a particular gender. In the case of today’s society, the gender of male has often been constructed on the basis of ideals such as strength or protectiveness. Like the phrase sung by The Cure, “Boys Don’t Cry” reinforces the notion that men are expected to persevere through struggles such as difficult emotions. This is the problem with society, Butler critiques. We as a society force certain expectations of gender onto humans, defining what actions are “masculine” or “feminine.” What tells a boy they can’t like Barbies or a girl they can’t like monster trucks is, simply, what society expects of a gender.

While there have been, of course, some strides in how men are allowed to act in terms of societal norms, there hasn’t been as much development as women have seen through previous years. As performative masculinity is described through today’s trend, its definition has become a source of power and an attempt by boys and men alike to demolish the constructs of traditional masculinity. Leaning into soft masculinity through seemingly simple objects such as Labubus, matcha, or the most recent Clairo vinyl, the epidemic can be nuanced into two different angles: an annoying catcall method to pick up girls; or, as a complex, politically charged act of defiance against restrictive gender norms.. So, while many mock men for integrating softer elements into their identity, we should ask ourselves: is it right for a male to tell a female, “You cannot become a CEO because you are a woman, and women are not supposed to do that?” As the performative masculinity trend fades, it leaves behind a simple but significant reminder that the time for men to speak up for their own gendered struggles is far from over.