What the “performative male” pandemic reveals about youth identities
Design including recent trends in consumer culture (The Puma Prensa / Isa Dajalos)
By Isa Dajalos, Staff Writer
Despite the age old saying, “don’t judge a book by its cover,” we tend to rely on appearances when gauging social interactions—maybe because of some prehistoric survival instinct, but definitely because it is convenient.
Take the recent rise of the “performative males” and their matcha lattes, tote bags, and feminist literature. For some reason, people have chosen this subgroup of men to call out for their lack of authentic interests, but realistically, performative males are only as performative as the next trend follower. To be clear, everyone is performative. No one that resides within a social sphere and is perceived by others is free from performing.
What society considers self-expression, as well as any personal interests projected into one’s appearance, are a performance. There is no single reason why people choose to express their interests in a physical appearance. They may be curating a sense of style to make their preferences and interests apparent to others or they may simply be trying to fit in, but these performances can also be self-serving. Pinterest boards are a perfect example of people putting together a vision—a performance—for themselves. In seeking out a lifestyle or style change, people are preparing for a performance as they strive toward something that might not come naturally. But just because something does not come naturally does not mean that it is insincere to pursue it.
It is not evil to be performative, but it is important to acknowledge the role it has in our perception of identity. What we consume and how we present ourselves dictates how we interact with one another. Obviously, people are free to discover who they are, but the disconnect between a person’s appearance and what they truly identify with can be problematic. Within adolescent social groups especially, people are experimenting with identity and trying out different styles, each of which are a separate outward performance and many of which are far from encompassing an individual's true identity. Consumer culture and trend cycles exacerbate the amount of “identities” youths try out through social media and advertisements to maximize profits.
In a student survey with respondents across all grades at Maria Carrillo High School, 76% of students reported that they have bought into trends they came across online and 89% of those that bought into trends admitted to feeling only a small to moderate connection with the values associated with a given trend. These individually-reported responses reveal the extent to which consumer culture profits off of blind consumerism. People are consuming just to consume, but the numbers show the disconnect between what people value and what they buy. Out of the 121 students surveyed, only 53% responded that they feel their appearance accurately represents who they are; however, 70% admitted to judging others by outward appearance. The implications of these responses is a sea of young, impressionable teens judging others by how they look, in spite of the awareness that their own appearances often fall short of accurately representing their personalities.
Teenagers greatly feel the pressure of self-discovery and are especially plagued with choosing a career to pursue past graduation, but the constant influx of product placements and influencer endorsements through social media may very well be adding insult to injury. Fast fashion corporations continuously bank on teen self-expression by marketing their products as part of certain lifestyles, giving young consumers the impression that buying into a certain product provides a gateway to an identity.
So, maybe some guys are falling for the matcha lattes and wired headphones marketed at them, but let’s cut them some slack since, clearly, everyone falls for fads. The true perpetrators behind the so-called “manipulative males” are the big corporations that spend millions on finding what sells.
Adolescents are being tricked into conflating preferences with personality, but true identity should not be associated with consumption; it should be associated with creation. Young people should be creating identities internally by fostering existing interests and preferences. Instead of blindly buying into what brands market toward you, lean into what it is specifically about a product that brings enjoyment. Is it the cut, the materials, the history? From here, you can not only learn more about yourself, but also consume what serves you—and probably save some money in doing so.