In the heart of Soho, a dozen men battled the rain and each other to be crowned the Performative Male King
Even the rain couldn’t dampen the mood in Soho Square, where a crowd huddled under umbrellas to witness London’s Performative Male Contest. Part parody, part performance art, the event invited men to compete for female attention disguised as feminist allyship.
The ‘performative male’ is an archetype that has emerged from internet meme culture, mocking the shallow men who adopt feminine interests in a attempt to seduce women. This includes reading The Second Sex on the Tube, wearing wired headphones, and loudly rejecting masculine pastimes like watching football in exchange for attending a Clairo gig.
“They’re just men who put down other men to try get women,” a girl in the audience told me. She explained that the irony in it all was that in adhering to such a specific archetype, these performative men end up repelling any woman who had encountered the meme online. “I feel like I can spot these guys from a mile away and I’m not sure if they realise how blatant it all is.”
“I’ve had some dodgy looks coming here,” William, one of the twelve contestants, told me. He glanced down at the pink Labubu toy hanging off his baggy jeans. “I don’t usually dress like this, it feels attention-seeking.” He fished a walkman from one of the many tote bags dangling on his shoulders, confessing it doesn’t actually work.
“I didn’t even know it was considered performative until my friends started saying it, so I thought I might as well embrace it”
Alexander, a fashion student at UAL, went the extra mile, risking bringing his record player in spite of the rain in an attempt to stand out. He explained that women enjoy listening to music on vinyl because they engage with life in a more “sensitive” manner. “Men don’t really do that,” he told me, without an ounce of sarcasm in his voice. “Most men just drink beer and talk shit.” Later in the competition, he led the audience of giddy women into a heated chant of “fuck men.”
After being introduced to the mostly-female audience, contestants faced a pageant-style Q&A. The questions included whether sanitary products should be free, or what was their favourite Taylor Swift album. “Boys only want love if it’s torture,” one contestant yelled, quoting Taylor Swift’s Blank Space to a cheering crowd.
“We found [the event] on TikTok and thought it would be a laugh,” one audience member explained, clutching her umbrella. “We’ve all got to get in some whimsy,” she added.
After being quizzed by the crowd, the contestants got a chance to flaunt just how much they fit the archetype. From serenading the audience with a cover of Radiohead’s Creep on guitar, to field-brewing a matcha latte, to handing out tampons like flyers.
Though many of the contestants seemed to lean into caricature, flashing copies of The Bell Jar and Lana Del Rey CDs, some insisted that this is just how they are on an everyday basis. “This is just how I dress,” one contestant confessed, gesturing to the keys dangling from his belt loop. “I didn’t even know it was considered performative until my friends started saying it, so I thought I might as well embrace it.”
The competition was organised by Glenta, who created the event as a way to promote her feminist bookclub, United By Stories. “I remember seeing the Harry Styles lookalike contest a while back and thinking it looked really fun.” She hoped the event would attract a young female crowd that may be interested in joining her club. Proceeds from the ticket sales went toward her London Marathon run in April. “We managed to raise £115, which is kind of unbelievable when you think about it.”
After a tense scream-off, Alexander was crowned the performative male king. He walked off with £20 in cash and a small swarm of approving women trailing behind him.
Featured image by Dani Port