Leeds University students took part in a performative male contest, and here’s how it went

Last Saturday, the University of Leeds became home to its very first Performative Male Contest, a trend which has swept universities all over the country.

The competition involved ten men and took place in front of the Student Union, with contestants charming the audience with everything from witty speeches to live poetry readings. 

For those in the dark, a performative male is a man who adopts a certain style, musical taste or set of personality traits in order to gain validation from women. Common stereotypes include listening to Clairo, reading feminist literature in public and drinking matcha.

Unsurprisingly, all of these things were in abundance at the competition on Saturday. Several contestants showed off their collections of Lana Del Rey and Mazzy Star vinyls, and classic feminist novels such as The Handmaid’s Tale and The Feminist Mystique.

One participant bucked the trend by opting for a copy of George Orwell’s 1984 instead (he’s a little confused but he got the spirit). Period pads also weren’t in short supply, with almost all of the men involved bringing several along with them for any “women in need”. 

Mina, a psychology student at the University of Leeds and the organiser behind the contest, said: “I thought it would be a fun way to get everyone involved and create something hilarious and memorable.”

Her aim was certainly achieved. Despite the gloomy weather, around fifty spectators showed up to watch the event unfold, and the crowd was unable to contain their laughter as they watched the contestants vying for the top spot.

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Highlights included a contestant sporting a faux tattoo reading “I <3 Sylvia Plath”, another apologising for the existence of periods, and another promising to find and “get” the person responsible for them.

Ultimately, it was economics student Will who gained the dubious honour of being crowned Leeds’ most performative male, as decided through a public vote.

His outfit of choice included an Urban Outfitters tote bag, vintage clothing and a piece of classic literature which he read aloud from in front of the audience. All in all, a fair win. 

At the end of the event, the audience were encouraged to donate to Freedom4Girls UK, a charity dedicated to fighting period poverty.

Toby, who took part in the contest, told The Leeds Tab: “I only discovered that the contest was happening about an hour before it was due to start but I knew it would be too good to miss out on. I decided to read a bit of a poem from Sylvia Plath’s Ariel, which I thought was highly performative.

“I thought I put on a strong performance, but unfortunately I didn’t take home the picture frame prize. The contestants all made valiant efforts and made the event a pleasure to be part of.”

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