By Sophie Perry
Copyright thepinknews
If you’re a woman-loving-woman who has a decidedly sapphic algorithm, then you will likely have seen plenty of videos of very stereotypically dressed mascs standing before an ogling crowds of dykes, their jorts hanging low, carabiners jingling and biceps flexing. All of them vying for the crown – or snapback, if we are being honest – at their local ‘performative masc contest’. But what are these competitions?
Much in the same vein of the widely-attended viral look-alike competitions of 2024 – that actually saw a lesbian take second place at a Zayn Malik look-alike event – the performative masc contests are a lesbian spin on the ‘performative male’ competitions that have been recently held in cities and on university campuses across the US and wider world.
Those events, videos of which which have been wildly popular and attracted millions of videos on social media, see male contestants compete in hopes of claiming the title, and bragging rights, of being the most “performative male” – aka a guy who pretends to care about feminist and social justice causes to appeal to straight women.
A performative male, according to Book Club Chicago‘s Charles Thrush, is a man who picks up “traditionally feminine hobbies with the sole intent of cultivating an inauthentic aesthetic that might appeal to progressive women”, while GQ‘s Mahalia Chang says they are “twenty-something guys reading green-flag feminist literature and drinking overpriced matcha lattes. They carry Labubus and disposal cameras. Not because they especially love those things – although, yeah, some of them do – but because it’s a material signal to the female gaze, a horny homing beacon blinking out into the Hinge-era dating universe”.
The competitions hence see self-deprecating fellows don tote bags and thrifted clothes, leaf through an (unopened) copy of The Bell Jar, dangle a Labubu from a keychain and claim they are listening to Clairo or Laufey – even though their wired earphones aren’t plugged in.
“The online component is rooted in a degree of self-awareness and self-deprecation wherein they are intentionally hamming up the look for a laugh,” Chang explained. “And although you will (and likely already have) seen this man in public – wearing this fit and doing these things for real – in the scheme of Internet trends, this one is fairly harmless.”
Much in the same way, the performative masc contests are community driven and tongue-in-cheek queer tournaments which poke fun at lesbian stereotypes, with the shtick being to have sapphics compete against each other to be the Most Lesbian they can be.
Sapphics taking part might wear multiple – or oversized – carabiners, show off their muscles in little else than a sports bra or whip out their tool kit to show off their butch prowess.
The events have gained huge popularity in recent weeks, with new contests seemingly popping at every female-aligned queer space and advertised on social media using images of Leslie Feinberg’s Stone Butch Blues, white tank tops and sliver dog tags.
Speaking to The Independent Florida Alligator, the University of Florida’s student newspaper, performative lesbian winner Claire Busansky, 21, said the event was ““extraordinary” given the current negativity towards the LGBTQ+ community.
Busansky said being a performative masc is “someone who embodies more masculinity and aesthetic, but not necessarily in personality.”
“I think it was really liberating and really fun to be in the middle of campus and kind of show out and be queer.” Busansky added.
