🔗 Share this article He reads, brings home blooms and performs on ukulele. The perfect guy or is it all a performance? @contestantprofile A contest hopeful grasps a romantic novel as he prepares to compete With sanitary pads in his pants and a carry bag packed with gender equality texts, the participant was confident to participate. Over the weekend in a central London location, he strutted against approximately 24 other men - and some women with temporary moustaches - in a style showdown to find the city's best "theatrical man". Internet Concept The online trope absorbs various style movements and aesthetic choices, but most importantly, the performative male is attempting to convey a clear message - that he understands your struggles and is ready to listen to you. @eventorganizer Contestants needed to respond difficult inquiries about women during the Soho Square contest The period items display his compassion and readiness to help; the books indicating he's aware about the systematic barriers of the patriarchy. The Complete Look The carry-all will have an adorable toy fastened (he enjoys games, naturally); the pants will be loose-fitting (comfort is king); the latte will be specialty drink (fashionable beverages are for men too); the photographic equipment will use traditional photography (it seems more real). The 22-year-old musician acknowledges possessing certain hobbies that coincide with common perceptions about theatrical men, but doesn't consider himself one. His companions insisted he participate in the competition. The Competition Format During the event, enthusiastic spectators selected their favorite male after they were made to undergo a variety of tests, which ranged from explaining their choice of book to performing romantic songs. The contestant picked a song that became popular on TikTok, where videos about such individuals have been extensively appreciated and shared in the past few weeks. I learnt a few ukulele chords for music from Clairo called that particular tune, states the participant, who maintains he's genuinely a admirer of the soft rock singer. The novel he chose was by novelist Cecelia Ahern. "That particular book is genuinely a really good read." Audience Reactions At a certain moment the young man began distributing flowers to enthusiastic supporters in the audience. "I do tend to purchase blooms frequently, he says, be it for my pals - or for my girl." A female spectator in the assembly - and it was mostly women - was an observer. She mentions that the young man's self-assurance, which featured playful evasions to tricky questions about gender topics, was noticeable above the other contest participants. @contestantprofile Participants needed to entertain for the audience and a participant employed a small instrument for a heartfelt tune He stood out that I really wasn't sure if he was performing a role, to be like closer to that archetype, or if he was being himself - but either way he did it perfectly. The spectator, in her early twenties, feels the young man should genuinely earned the top spot, along with its cash reward. He placed third. Underlying Significance While the performative males at the competition were a humorous exaggeration of the trends and behaviors you see among some young men, the observer believes there is a deeper reason why they differentiate themselves as they do. I feel they are trying to physically display their opposition to specific ideologies, she comments, showing they're separate of the rising population of misogynistic, traditional, dogmatic individuals you see currently. Modern dialogues have expressed concerns about particular online figures affecting teenage boys and male youth into extreme misogyny in a way that is rather frightening. The observer thinks that, broadly speaking, a ideological divide has emerged between male and female youth and that, for some of the latter, it's particularly significant their partners are clear about where they position themselves on specific ethical and community topics - like abortion, gender equality and same-sex relationships. @eventorganizer Contestants show their women's rights books and music collections for a showy gentleman event coordinator Authenticity Questions I won't dispute that there's a lot of people who adopt this style just for the female gaze, says the contestant, and I feel like a lot of people are just pretending to do these things even though they're not truly invested in gender equality… mainly for female attraction. Another woman in the audience was 28-year-old screenwriter the observer, who considered the competition rather therapeutic. The competition was genuinely excellent, especially for someone who has found themselves alone with this kind of guy working to ascertain if he actually considers mentioning equality advocates was going to get him laid - or if he was being humorous. Some time back, the screenwriter, who is African-American, also began noticing men name-dropping African-American activists they had studied during discussion. They would inform me everything regarding the author and the scholar, as if they had read all their books while confined during Covid. So it was pleasant to make fun of these ridiculous experiences at the event.