Poking Fun at Performative Men? TikTok's New Fav

If you're chronically online, you know about the performative man. The joke refers to the guy who fake reads books at the park with his tote bag and an iced matcha. Essentially, a performative man is the next phase of toxic masculinity for posers hoping to get laid. The trend -- poking fun at posers -- has been growing across all TikTok and Twitter recently and on August 9, 2025, the trend reached a new height.

According to a Twitter post by Emily North, Chicago welcomed a performative male contest to the city. "Come prove you are a good guy with taste," was the first line on the flyer taped to a Chicago lamppost. "Matcha? Labubus? Clairo? Totes?" The list of social media brought to IRL trends was followed by "Performative Male Contest" in bold. Of course, the winner received a Matcha gift card from a local cafe.

@curatedfindzzz Matcha homage selvedge denim wired headphones #fyp #preformative #fashion #homage #selvedgedenim #16oz ♬ original sound - curatedfindzz

Showing up to this with dynamite strapped to my chest https://t.co/fySBV8uhne

— chibi snoo (@thesmokedweed7) August 4, 2025

In other news, Cardi B prepares to release her next single -- with a nod to Jay-Z. Elsewhere, Olivia Rodrigo is releasing a GUTS book for pre-order. Here's how to cop.

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