Young men participated in a “Performative Male Contest” in Seattle. Earlier this week, YPulse told you that some young people are calling it “performative” when young men order matcha lattes—saying they seem to like trendy things only to impress girls. It’s being more broadly applied to any trends typically first popularized by girls, whether tote bags or reading in public. This inspired a “Performative Male Contest” that’s going viral, where contestants leaned into the stereotype with feminist T-shirts, un-read feminist books, and vinyl records in tow. But while the event poked fun at this concept, it also spotlighted a bigger conversation about masculinity online. From matcha-drinking “soft boys” to red-pill gymfluencers and podcast bros, young people say they are constantly performing different versions of manhood for an audience. (Washington Post)
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