Lion’s Tale staff

News editor Kira Koplow argues that the performative male trend mocks feminism.

Passersby walking through San Francisco Park on Aug. 22, 2025 were shocked to see hundreds of men wearing wired earbuds, drinking matcha and yelling about periods (they were all 6”4 by the way). The San Francisco “performative male contest” was just one of hundreds of insincere and theatrical performances popping up in cities, parks and college campuses since the beginning of 2025. 

Dreamt up by Gen Z, the idea of a performative male is someone who engages in stereotypically “sensitive” activities to appeal to women, according to Merriam-Webster. They are frequently seen on TikTok feeds, in coffee shops or, most impressively, participating in contests. 

The performative male will express their dislike of periods and read feminist literature in order to appear sympathetic to the plight of the modern woman, all while subtly promoting their physical attributes, such as height. The theatrical and insincere concept has seeped into multiple aspects of popular culture, including the shift from Nike tech hoodies to more professional quarter-zips and the spike in matcha consumption in order to project a soft and sensitive persona. According to a study by Yu Tea, Gen Z drinks 25% more matcha than the average consumer.

But why is the seemingly harmless performative male such a burden on Gen Z? The answer lies in their mocking insincerity. To assume that crying about a menstrual cycle is the way to any woman’s heart is not only an insulting assumption, but also a huge setback to the feminist movement. 

The belief in social, economic and political equality of the sexes is largely based on the idea that all genders should be treated as just that: equal. Periods have historically been seen as a sign of feminine weakness and used as a reason for inequality. Women were denied jobs and opportunities because of their natural bodily functions.

While periods are absolutely normal and not something to be ashamed of or ignored, they aren’t always seen that way. By putting on a show of getting angry or sad about the fact that women menstruate, the performative male is insinuating that a period is a bad thing.

It definitely does feel bad, cramps and bleeding every month for up to 40 years is not an enjoyable thing. But the only people who know exactly what that feels like are women. Subconsciously putting the idea that periods are something to get upset or mad about into the brains of millions of Gen Z girls is regressing an idea that the feminist movement spent years fighting for. 

Additionally, putting on a performance over the feminine plight of periods takes away from the fact that getting them is completely normal. Making the menstrual cycle seem like a bigger deal than it is just adds to the stigma.

Suffragettes and women’s rights fighters worked their entire lives just to have the chance to vote, apply for jobs and even just go to college. When performative males adopt feminism just for views and laughs, it diminishes the hard work that women put in to receive basic rights. 

In addition to the mockery of feminism, performative males make harmful assumptions and generalizations about women. Not every girl in the world thinks the same or shares the same beliefs or worldviews, but the performative male assumes that their specific persona will appeal to every woman.

The insincere and theatrical performance of performative males on social media and heavily present in pop culture is both insulting to the feminist movement and just tiring.