Performative men are giving me the heebie‑jeebies
An opinion on the viral “performative male” TikTok caricature and why its staged masculinity unsettles the writer.
A recent TikTok shows the caption “Men used to go to war” over a clip of young men drinking matcha and posing for candid photos, exemplifying the viral “performative male” caricature. Last fall the trend swept TikTok as a depiction of a progressive, matcha‑drinking, Clairo‑listening, baggy‑pants‑wearing man who largely exists online, and the writer says those staged displays feel unsettling. The piece argues that these affectations amount to performative masculinity rather than authentic identity.