The performative male and pseudo-intellectualism
Lily Dykstra (she/her) // Contributor
Anna Israfilova (she/her) // Illustrator
In a world where the effort of learning is slowly being replaced by AI, intellectualism has become a commodity: the figure of the ‘intellectual’ man is all too eager to flaunt it. In an attempt to seem unique and attractive to potential partners, this figure appears to have resorted to adopting interests and hobbies associated with women, in addition to intellect. It’s no secret that in the years prior matcha, indie artists, thrifting and reading began trending on social media, with women making up a majority of those involved. Slowly, some men began infiltrating these spaces, praising hobbies and music they used to mock and creating a new, desirable aesthetic: The Performative Man.
It seems that these performative men feel the need to prove that they “aren’t like other guys” by listening to Clairo, reading classics only in public and claiming to possess more knowledge about certain topics than they actually do. However, this personality type isn’t unique to the twenty-first century. More broadly, the term “performative men” is a take on pseudo-intellectuals: people who are more concerned with appearing intelligent over actually being smart.
The point of giving into the aesthetic of a performative man is to show women, specifically those whose politics are more left leaning, that they subscribe to feminist ideals and are “woke” in just the right ways. It’s a step in the right direction for spreading awareness, with more men becoming acquainted with the feminist movement, in addition to other marginalised communities. However, interest in these groups can be rooted in attracting a partner by seeming more desirable, as opposed to active and continuous support. The entire charade can fall apart when they are alone, or more importantly, left without a woman to impress. By using signifiers and spaces cultivated by women as a tool to attract them, he shows he doesn’t actually respect those things, let alone appreciate them. He walks around with a strawberry matcha, hoping someone will ask him where it’s from so he can give the name of a local cafe rather than Starbucks. He proudly says it’s vintage when asked where his sweater is from, and tells you all about how “feminist and thought-provoking” his current read is. He supports local business and is anti-consumerist only when it helps his own gains.
These men are only performative because they often don’t end up practicing what they preach, wanting to be seen flaunting their knowledge of the issues women, and others, face daily, but rarely doing anything to combat it. The performative male wants people to see him as the classic good-guy-activist, but—in reality—he’s a glorified bystander, or even sometimes an active aggressor.
I’ve met many men in my time who love spending hours sifting through the racks at thrift stores, have a collection of books in their rooms, carry a leather-bound notebook with them everywhere and enjoy softer music, but the difference is that they aren’t performative. To them, it’s their genuine interests rather than a curated aesthetic. Some actually read the novels and practice what others only preach, while the performative men show off their unbent paperbacks like trophies. There’s nothing wrong with men liking Phoebe Bridgers, Jane Austen and taking photos on film. It only becomes a problem when these interests are donned and discarded like the latest trend.
Like pseudo-intellectuals, these performative men could benefit from actually putting in the time to study the topics they claim to be experts on and cracking open the novels they only understand because of TikTok analyses. You can only pretend to be educated on a topic and enjoy hobbies that don’t align with yourself for so long before it becomes apparent that you really don’t have much in common with a trending personality type, aside from wanting to be perceived a specific way. Developing an authentic personality and becoming an expert of your own interests will actually do what the aesthetic claims to do. Having passions and being knowledgeable about topics you love is interesting and others will appreciate that; it’s unique as opposed to tweaking a cookie cutter personality. If that’s too much, actively engaging with the aesthetic’s required reading will have a much greater impact on yourself, your community and potentially the world, instead of letting them sit in your watchlist or collect dust on your bookshelf. The rise of The Performative Man aesthetic is primarily related to appear desirable to others, but it can open doors to topics left otherwise unexplored by the demographic and can potentially lead to real change.