The word fashionable, defined in the Oxford Dictionary, is ‘a characteristic of, influenced by, or representing a current popular style’. Fashion is often seen as an expression of individuality, with nothing cooler than someone who dresses in a way they are comfortable, confident and themselves in. However this seems contradictory: how can something be both representative of a current popular style and an expression of individuality? 

​

One of the most recognised ‘fashionable’ styles which currently aims – and I mean aim in its full meaning – as being an expression of individual style, is the performative male. I’m sure you have all come across a plethora of videos of a man, with a moustache and mullet. He tends to have baggy jeans, wears cropped T-shirts, drinks matcha, and talks of his feminist literature book while wearing wired headphones playing Clairo or Lana Del Rey. If anyone is aware of current, particularly TikTok trends, this seems all too familiar. This style is currently ‘fashionable’ so it seems as though the performative male is a man dressed head to toe in stereotypically popular items. 

​

So what is so performative, and such an issue, with dressing in popular clothes? The idea behind it is that men can’t possibly genuinely enjoy what women like. These popular items are so for females, and stereotypes of what women like are stereotypes for a reason. Right? Just because women may enjoy reading feminist literature, that doesn’t mean they want a man to also enjoy it. But doesn’t that become an oppression of self-expression? Isn’t that what ‘fashionable’ is –being influenced by a current popular style? 

​

While yes, it seems ridiculous to say ‘men can’t like Clairo and wear baggy jeans, and they can’t possibly enjoy matcha’ as of course, they can and they do, that isn’t where the performative-ness comes from. It’s the act of the man taking the individual items and making it abundantly clear that he only expresses his enjoyment to attract the girl he wants – or the type of girl. He is a man who inauthentically adopts ‘sensitive’ and ‘female’ traits, curating a character, resulting in the insincerity and superficiality of a pseudo-sensitive male. Their greatest trick is hiding their domination and attraction to women as vulnerability, like a trojan horse, which is where the issue lies. 

​

Yet the funny thing is, it usually isn’t even the women who comments on the man being performative. It is another matcha drinking man who has evolved in performative progression who calls out his fellow performative male for ‘only doing so for the female gaze’. The problem is, the only additional feature to this new and improved performative male is showing us, females, that he is self-aware so ‘better’. This here lies a downwards spiral where there can no longer be any man who isn’t performative. One calls out another, who calls out another who calls out another and so forth.

 

Each additional performance just adds further layer to this onion of performance and produces a deeper issue of insincere softness and attempt to show women they ‘aren’t like other guys.’  

​

So, while the performative men are dressing, as ‘fashionable’ are they cool? The answer is plain and simple – no. Nothing is cool when dressing purely for the attention of others. This being said if your true calling is found at the bottom of a matcha in your old jam jar glass, or in a Haruki Murakami novel then express yourself that way. Just not for the benefit of anyone else – as it really benefits no one and makes you very performative.