The “performative male”: new masculine figure or pure product of TikTok?

A viral star on social networks, the “performative male” blends stylized seduction, overt commitment and an eye for detail. A posture as admired as it is questioned.

He can be found in cafés on rue Oberkampf, in the Buttes-Chaumont or on the quays of the Seine, matcha in hand, Derniers Jours à Berlin protruding from a tote bag. The “performative male” has invaded TikTok, Parisian terraces and Instagram feeds, creating a veritable socio-cultural phenomenon.

Neither macho nor alpha, this man plays the card of militant sensibility, overt feminism and alternative culture, but with choreographed precision. Vintage shorts, massive pinkie ring, wired headphones and feminist novel in hand: everything seems calibrated to seduce a well-targeted female gaze. Every gesture, every accessory, every pose seems destined to be seen, liked, interpreted.

A sophisticated heir to the “soft boy” concept

The performative male doesn’t fall from the sky: he’s a direct descendant of the soft boy of the 2010s. But where the soft boy displayed raw, often sincere sensitivity, his successor has integrated the codes of emotional self-marketing. He acts under the gaze, constructing his image like a masterfully staged production. It’s no longer the emotion that counts, but its representation.

In this, he simply embodies an age dominated by social networks, where identity is constructed in the eye of others. It’s no longer just being that counts, but appearing to be well-intentioned.

Fashion that sometimes verges on caricature

In New York, Toronto and even in some Parisian parks, male performative contests have sprung up: public readings of bell hooks, guitar slung over the shoulder, bag full of menstrual protection “in case of emergency”. While this may seem absurd, it highlights the ambiguity of this profile.

By ticking all the boxes of “deconstructed masculinity”, the performative male ends up blurring the line between real conviction and strategic seduction. The result is a softer masculinity, but at the risk of turning social commitment into a fashion accessory.

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