Is it manipulative or is it just “not masculine”
The overlaps between performative male music and queer artists, and its roots in homophobia
Now that the “performative male epidemic” has blown over, it’s time to unpack the real issue—and it wasn’t the wired headphones.
The artists typically associated with the art of being a performative male were singers such as Beabadoobee, Clairo, Phoebe Bridgers, and Laufey. There were other artists mentioned in the trend, but a common pattern was they were typically female singers, and, in the case of Clairo, Bridgers, and Beabadoobee at least, openly queer. This raises the question: was it ever really about the “performative” male? The original intent of the trend was to point out the issues with men who pretend to enjoy typically “feminine” hobbies or interests in an attempt to woo women, or appear more attractive. Except, not only were the musicians associated with them usually queer women, but the other hobbies implicated in the performance were reading feminine literature, dressing nicely, and…being in touch with their emotions?
If this is starting to sound familiar, that may be because it echoes the sentiments used over and over again in the media to stereotype queer men as being innately feminine, and showing that in a negative light. The problem is, this harms everyone involved. Queer men who are more feminine presenting are treated as less than, queer men who are more masculine presenting are treated as less queer, and women are painted as fundamentally inferior because no one wants to be associated with being feminine. Another group harmed by these sentiments is straight men who genuinely enjoy anything feminine, because they will get lumped into these harmful stereotypes and accused of faking any interest in things that aren’t traditionally associated with being masculine.
The “faking” of interest was the main idea behind the complaints of performative males. It is undeniable that there were, and still are, people who feign interest in something to gain the attention of others, but is it productive to make it a battle of the sexes or sexuality? It’s hard to figure out the genuinity of someone’s personality, even if they intend to cause harm. The fear of performative males comes from the history of the male manipulator who pretends to be caring while still being a terrible person. But a manipulator can’t be identified solely from how they dress or the music they listen to. If they are discovered, then maybe we should avoid the euphemisms and call them out for this bad action plainly.
Another set of targets for the trend was the queer artists involved. Their fans, queer or not, found themselves wondering if their interest in these artists was real. In her article for Medium [another publication that shares our name], contributor ‘f dawn’ explains questioning her long established love for Beabadoobee during the height of the trend: “if they [performative males] perform their appreciation, then what does it mean that [I] love what they also perform? [D]oes that, by extension, make me performative too?” These artists, many of whom had previously struggled with being open about their sexuality in the spotlight, and who had spent years establishing a safe space for fans, were now being flattened into criteria for identifying a manipulator.
The purpose of this piece isn’t to chastise those who took part in the trend, but to remind us that the underlying themes shouldn’t be overlooked. Eventually, the urge to categorize and separate everyone into carefully curated boxes will hurt anyone who dares to leave the box.
