Grab your matcha, tote bag and feminist literature. Saturday, Sept. 6, students at the College of William and Mary gathered on the Sunken Garden for a “performative male” contest.
An anonymous user on student social media platform YikYak spurred the informal event. They announced the contest’s time and place, as well as the prize for the winner: a $50 Starbucks gift card. Around 100 students, mostly women, attended the contest.
Competitor Owen Fleitas ’29 described his perception of the concept of the “performative male,” which has gone viral in recent weeks. The trend has become associated with certain alternative fashions and engaging with music, literature and even beverages typically associated with women.
“I think a performative male is a guy who goes about presenting himself and his interests for the sole purpose of getting attention from a woman,” Fleitas said. “He involves himself in causes that don’t speak to him and that he does only for the sake of sexual validation.”
Competitor Hall Blackwood ’29 agreed that performative males change their personalities to appeal to women.
“Someone who acts not like themselves in order to find someone, you know, like a date,” Blackwood said.
Competitor William McCann ’26 added the performative feminist activism associated with the archetype.
“I would define a performative male as someone who, perhaps insincerely, believes in or engages in a lot of causes and interests that are typically seen as female-led, or female-dominated,” McCann said.
The contestants lined up in front of the crowd to compete. They each showcased their outfits and the items they brought, trying to make the case that they were the most deserving to win.
A common theme of the competitors’ personas was menstrual advocacy. When Blackwood presented himself, someone in the crowd yelled that they were starting their period. He quickly sprang into action, dropping his tote bag and kneeling to present the woman with a feminine hygiene product. Blackwood’s actions drew applause from the crowd. In another instance, one of the performative males threw a box of tampons into the crowd.
Blackwood described how his enjoyment of acting inspired him to compete.
“I do theater a lot. So, I like playing characters, and for me, this is a form of character,” Blackwood said.
When asked about his performance, Blackwood thought that the Sylvia Plath book and the office plant that he brought helped elevate him.
Meanwhile, Fleitas decided to compete after seeing the YikYak post, and was confident he would do well.
“I saw the post on YikYak, and I was thinking I had this shit in the bag,” Fleitas said. “Like, I had this whole vinyl collection of just female artists and not even on purpose.”
McCann showed up to the event with less serious confidence.
“I saw a trending post on YikYak, and I kind of jokingly posted on my Instagram story, ‘Hey guys, should I pull up to this?’” McCann said.
He also described his strategy coming into the event.
“I mainly just held up objects that I had and said, ‘I hate periods,’ which gets the job done in some cases,” McCann said. “I love women.”
AG Yurkutat ’29 came to watch the event. They gave their opinion on the performative male contest.
“I think the whole contest is about recognizing that women want to be seen and respected,” Yurkutat said. “And also making fun of the people who turn to consumerism as a way to attract women instead of being authentic and caring individuals.”
Beyond the deeper social commentary, Yurkutat thought the event was a fun time.
“Everyone got to do a little spiel when they participated about their so-called feelings about women, and made some exaggerated remarks about being anti-consumerist, thrifting everything and drinking matcha and then spitting it out because, again, the whole point of a performative man is that they’re not actually authentic,” Yurkutat said.
Fleitas thought there was a lesson everyone could take away from the competition.
“Love women, and do it just for the sake of it,” Fleitas said.
The audience chose the winner by crowding around the performative male they thought was the best. Yurkutat helped count the different groups. After a few minutes, Sam Rose ’29 was crowned the winner. It was unclear whether or not they received the promised $50 dollar Starbucks gift card.
