Tote bags, matcha lattes and Labubus took over the lawn beside Janss Steps at a performative male competition Tuesday.
The competition, hosted by the Shenanigans Comedy Club at UCLA, invited the UCLA community to compete by dressing up and carrying props to embody the “performative male.” The performative male, an archetype that recently took the internet by storm, dresses and acts in public to make others – particularly women – believe that he has progressive ideals, according to the Guardian.
Around 40 people came to watch the 11 competitors, who dressed in thrifted clothing held feminist literature – such as “the Bell Jar” by Sylvia Plath – and carried menstrual products, should anyone need them. The contest’s prize was a container of matcha and a vinyl of Clairo’s “Charm” album.
Andy Liu, the president of Shenanigans, said the club organized the competition because he saw other universities doing similar contests on social media. Over the past few months, schools such as the University of Pennsylvania, UC Berkeley, Yale University and others held their own contests.
“Everyone wearing their outfits, talking to the crowd, doing that crowd work, was really funny,” said Liu, a third-year psychobiology student.
Eleven competitors wear thrifted clothing and hold feminist literature at the contest. The prize was a container of matcha and a vinyl of Clairo’s “Charm” album. (Zimo Li/Daily Bruin senior staff)
Liu added that he was proud of the unexpectedly large crowd and commitment from the contestants. In addition to presenting their outfits and props to the crowd, competitors delivered monologues attempting to convince the audience of their love for women, as well as the authenticity of their behavior and fashion choices.
Some contestants shouted out famous female figures including activist Malala Yousafzai, former first lady Michelle Obama and former Vice President Kamala Harris. Others spoke about feminism, with one contestant reading “A Kids Book About Feminism” by Emma Mcilroy aloud to the crowd. Contestant Aleksei Meritt-Powell – a first-year aerospace engineering student – strummed his guitar in the background.
The audience also interrogated the contestants.
One audience member, third-year psychology student Diana Manchevska, asked a competitor if he was “mansplaining” – and then stood up to read a Sylvia Plath poem to the audience.
Manchevska, who also wore thrifted clothes and carried a book by Sylvia Plath, said she came to the competition to explore her “performative side.” She added that she was impressed by how prepared the contestants were to demonstrate their progressive views.
“They’ve been researching all of the topics for a while, from what I could tell,” Manchevska said. “I don’t know if everybody here is really performative.”
Nikki St. Charles, a fourth-year art history student who attended the competition, said she came for the humor – and to find out who the “most performative male” was.
The winner, Meritt-Powell, wore a flag donning the musician Tyler, The Creator, carried a guitar – on which he played Blackbird by the Beatles – and held a tampon behind his ear. He said he worked with his neighbors to plan and execute his outfit, adding that he was glad he won.
Meritt-Powell added that his outfit consisted of most of his own clothes – with a few additions that he normally would not wear in public.
“The essence of the performative male is just showing out for women,” he said. “It’s all about the women, the love for women, what they do.”