Today’s modern poser, the performative male, is often seen carrying a tote bag, sipping matcha and reading feminist literature, while professing his love for an eco-friendly planet and women. He embraces traditionally feminine interests as a way to project masculinity.
This male archetype has recently gained traction online, with many people sharing stories of their “green-flag” and “red-flag” relationships with them. The “performative male” has become such a trend that there are even contests of who can portray the archetype the best.
On Saturday, the newly founded one-man Shiggles Club held a contest sponsored by Caffé Bene for University students at the Siebel Center for Design. Students gathered on the lawn behind the SCD at 8 p.m., waiting with anticipation and excitement.
Caffé Bene awarded prizes for the top three finishers: $30 for first place, $15 for second and $10 for third.
Aaditya Haridas, sophomore in Engineering, is the mastermind behind the contest and Shiggles Club. He came onto the lit-up stairs and announced the contest would be starting shortly as “From the Start” by Laufey began playing, a stereotypical song for the “performative male” to listen to.
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The contest mirrored a fashion show. SCD’s steps served as a runway as each contestant walked toward the audience, showing off their outfit while delivering one-liners such as, “Tampons should be free!”
Contestants walked down one by one, and the crowd would cheer for the contestant they thought best portrayed the archetype. Some of the contestants would show off their Labubu or vinyl record collection, throwing menstrual products and showing off the latest book they’ve been reading.
Matt Witek, freshman in Engineering, participated in the contest. He made his grand entrance on a skateboard, rolling towards the audience while sipping on a matcha. As he began to walk off the stage, he dropped his matcha all over the SCD steps.
As the next contestant began walking up, Witek interrupted and yelled towards the audience.
“Respect your janitorial staff!” Witek yelled as he began cleaning up the mess. “Ladies, don’t worry, I will be recycling everything!”
The last contestant to walk the stage, Joe Whetzel, sophomore in FAA, performed “Wonderwall” by Oasis on his guitar, causing the crowd to scream in excitement along with “oohing” and “aahing.”
Haridas hurried back on stage, saying he would bring out the contenders for the semi-finals, which would narrow the contenders down to the final seven. He told the audience to make noise for their favorite “performative male,” saying they would move on to the final seven based on noise level.
Many were eliminated, and the final seven walked back onto the stage together. The final round was an interview where each contestant was asked one question.
Cat Lodico, sophomore in Engineering, was asked who her favorite woman in power is. Without much thought or hesitation, Lodico yelled out Kamala Harris, causing the crowd to laugh with an uproar.
Witek was asked what the most important thing he carries around everywhere is.
“I always carry what book I’m reading, usually some feminist literature or psychology,” Witek said. “I also carry my vinyls with me. Did you guys want me to say tampons?”
After the final seven contenders answered their questions, Haridas and his two friends judged based on the crowd’s cheers and demand for the top three.
“In third place, PJ Donohue and Edwin Alvarez, who will be splitting their prize,” Haridas announced. “And in second place, Matt. Which means Joe is our winner and most performative male!”
The crowd cheered loudly — the battle was close between Witek and Whetzel. Both men walked forward and shook hands, causing the crowd to go even wilder.
“Genuinely, thank you guys so much,” Whetzel said. “I’ve had to pee for the last hour, but kept pushing for this.”
Edwin Alvarez, a freshman at Wilbur Wright College in Chicago, placed third in the contest. He was visiting his girlfriend, Brenda Rangel, a freshman in Business, over the weekend when she convinced him to participate.
“I saw the flyers and thought it was a fun idea,” Rangel said. “I told him about it and he agreed to come.”
During his winning speech, Alvarez said he would reward his girlfriend with his portion of the third-place prize.
Witek sat on the steps of Siebel playing his saxophone as the crowd began to disperse. After the performance, he explained what led him to join the contest.
“I saw a flyer and my friends have been making fun of me all week, so I figured I’d do it,” Witek said. “I figured I’d do it for the women.”
Haridas didn’t expect the number of students to come out to the event. The name of his club, Shiggles, comes from a play on the phrase “S—- and giggles.” As for why he decided to hold this event, Haridas was inspired by a friend.
“A friend at UMD competed in a performative male contest and won,” Haridas said. “I’m doing it for s—- and giggles. I thought of the event on Monday, made the poster on Canva, printed it on Wednesday and put the flyers on social media and places around campus.”
Haridas also shared that he chose to host the event at SCD because its patio makes a nice catwalk. As for the future of events with Shiggles, Haridas has much more up his sleeve.
“People have suggestions,” Haridas said. “Every time I have free time, I can do more. If people show interest and demand, we could curate this to make it bigger.”
