‘Performative’. Hearing the very word feels like an accusation thrown at me. But what does it mean, and why is to perform so prevalent in every space we occupy, from the internet to your local bookstore cafe? At its core, the word performative equates to inauthenticity. This can refer to someone who emulates a behaviour just for appearance’s sake, rather than expressing their true self. And on the internet, being performative is a foolproof way to get crucified, regardless of what your intentions are.
THE ‘P’ IN PERFORMATIVE
All of us have come across the performative male trope – longish hair, sips matcha, reads English lit and probably listens to Clairo. Let’s be real, most men on the internet do not fall under this purview. Is it the anomaly of this existence that drives us to critique it? Maybe there could be people who actually enjoy these things but the stark amount of those copying this trope leads us to believe that this cannot arise from a genuine place of interest. This applies to a variety of things – pilates, reading in cafes, listening to underground artists, the list goes on. Anyone adopting a trend on the internet can be perceived as performative, as the act of publicizing these behaviours is seen to be an attempt in appealing to a certain type of audience. Somehow in this chaos, the emerging trend has been to critique these “trends” themselves.
WHO ARE WE ANYWAY?
While there is a hint of irritation in me as I write this, is that so wrong? As a fellow critic of performative culture, I have to say the following: Aren’t we all human beings who would like to be accepted in a group at the end of the day? The act of exploring different trends, behaviours and adopting various patterns is all done in an attempt to find ourselves. Especially with young people who are caught up in the idea of being the perfect version of themselves, trying on these different ideals brings them a step closer to who they want to be seen as.
I’m someone who likes to present a very specific version of myself on the internet. While I love to rant and spam on my ‘close friends’ stories like there’s no tomorrow, most of my followers see a put together, carefree woman who enjoys life. But am I being inherently performative or is that just a part of my personality? I’m not hiding anything about myself, rather I express different versions of myself based on who I’m with – when I ask myself who I am, I choose to think of it as an amalgamation of these various personalities, rather than confining myself to one aspect of me and disregarding the rest as an act.
THE ETERNAL DILEMMA
However, I’m no stranger to putting on a show. These days, the grandeur of having something is of greater value than the experience itself. I realised I kind of live by the motto of – ‘pics or it didn’t happen’. Yes, I love documenting my life. But somewhere along the way, I still can’t figure out if I’m doing it for myself, or if I’m doing it because it’s trendy and socially normalised to do so. I will not deny the sense of validation I feel when others see and like what I do and experience. But, does its value lie in being seen? As someone who’s constantly on the other side of the table , looking at my friends (and strangers) lives through a screen makes me wonder if I want to experience certain things just to get a taste of what they live like, rather than longing for it out of my own free will.
TAKEAWAY
While nobody wants to be seen as performative, it’s hard to draw the line between what is and what isn’t when there is so much nuance associated with this topic. While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with adopting a trend or exploring a different version of yourself, it shouldn’t be at the cost of hurting any cultural, religious, political or personal sentiments. Some examples could be talking about charity work for the sake of it without any personal involvement, or trying to portray yourself in a certain socially acceptable manner in the hopes of being seen as superior as compared to those around you. You will never truly be performative when you express yourself, and your real status and value shines through because of who you are, and not what you try to be!