Since August, the internet has been awash with jokes about the “performative male” — a man who seems to be performing a version of masculinity that appeals to women (gentle, intellectual, introspective, edgy, arty) through signifiers such as Labubus, tote bags, Joan Didion books and iced matchas. While the discourse is largely light-hearted, some men can’t help but feel frustrated by a discourse that derides men for engaging with things that are perceived as feminine, or at odds with traditional macho models of masculinity.
