In an age where activism is widespread, there exists an expectation that people should adopt an artificial image of themselves. Nowadays, people are performative in their knowledge, actions, behaviour and morals. People pay considerable attention to how they are perceived – are they intelligent, progressive, inclusive, kind enough – but this creates a very surface-level, idealised and performative identity. For example, social media has become a place in which social capital is created in the form of publicising our virtues, but it is difficult to determine who is truly dedicated to the cause and who is posing to their followers. These performative acts are harmful. It lulls people into a false sense of self. How can we trust anyone in a society where we are so aware of how we perceive ourselves and perceived by others, that we portray ourselves in a light that is not at all authentic to the people we actually are?Â
The performative male is an example of when performativity takes precedence over substance. This phrase refers to a man who presents himself in a certain way to seem more appealing to women. It is a satirical representation of what men think women want: do we really care about whether or not a man drinks matcha, reads The Bell Jar, and listens to Clairo? I personally find this persona insulting to women. Not only is this archetype totally inauthentic and misleading, but it implies that all women are one-dimensional, predictable and simple-minded enough to want such minor things in a man and fall for the same performative image.Â
The performative male persona has encouraged women to not believe that any man can truly be genuinely progressive, aware and sensitive. So, why do men think that this image would be attractive to women? Because they have boldly and wrongly assumed that women would want this. Maybe it is because many women on social media have expressed interest in matcha and Clairo, therefore if men are also interested in the same things, these women will want them. These men have to resort to preying on women’s genuine interests because they lack any cool or desirable ones themselves. They have to rely on stealing and adopting the personalities of their former or current partners to have any type of substance at all. These men are not who they claim to be. They are simply performing a role that they believe will make them the ideal boyfriend because they are aware of what women want; they are just not genuine enough to truly be a moral, kind, understanding man that women would like in their lives. They arenât who they claim to be, and they lack the understanding to see this as a bad thing.
Performativity is not exclusive of women, there is also the trope of the performative feminist. This refers to a woman who presents herself as being inclusive, supportive and educated on womenâs rights, however, they lack the genuine commitment and fail to follow through with this claim. These performative feminists like the aesthetic of being a feminist; they like feeling progressive and helpful to the movements for womenâs rights, yet lack any authentic substance in actually helping to improve womenâs lives. They do not care about engaging in the more brutal sides of feminism – they care about western women being denied the right to abortions (which is of course an important topic), yet are ignorant to the plight of women around the world who are facing ethnic cleansing, or transgender women facing threats on their life because of transphobia. For these western liberal feminists, the privileges they have obscure the wider issues that the global majority of women face in their daily lives.Â
The circumstantial privilege that allows the lack of consideration of wider issues undermines the foundation of their feminism. For these women, not shaving their armpits and reposting girl power quotes on Instagram is peak feminism. They want to be viewed as feminists because discourse surrounding misogyny and sexism is rife in todayâs society. Of course, any conversation about these issues is necessary and helpful – to an extent. Performative feminists ignore the deeper issues women face and choose to advocate for a certain type of aesthetic feminism – white feminism. Their feminism is not intersectional, and therefore, counterproductive to the feminist movement as a whole. How can real progression regarding womenâs rights be achieved if many who call themselves âfeministsâ are performative and selective in their activism? The feminist movement is being marred by these performative feminists. Their seeming want to help the cause is, in fact, an example of their saviour complex, their desire to insert themself into a conversation without being of any use, wielding only their performative knowledge that is not knowledge at all, but rather a regurgitation of outdated and superficial feminist values. These women are not what they claim to be. They are surface-level, shallow figures that undermine real activism.
Adopting a facade like the performative male and the performative feminist is damaging. It produces distrust within a society where it is necessary to come together to advocate for more safety and equality for all. If these tropes continue to be performed, progression cannot take place. Collectively, we need to be more critical, serious and inclusive on our morals and actions. Performing an artificial role because you feel it is expected is not helpful – for yourself or others. You can be in touch with your masculinity and still be a predator and oppressor. You can read Simone de Beauvoir and fail to be a contemporary feminist; stuck in an outdated ideological obsession. You cannot be what you claim to read, watch, say unless you actively internalise and externalise them by being a moral person. You can care so much about how youâre perceived that you can manipulate an image to fit yourself into how you want to be seen. What you claim to be is not who you truly are.