Despite a chilly breeze on Wednesday afternoon, dozens of students gathered around the Library Quad, clutching their coffees and tote bags for a student-organized “performative male contest” at Carleton University.
Ten self-proclaimed “performative males” strutted across the grass with lattes and clipped on labubus in tow, sweater vests fluttering lightly in the breeze.
The crowd laughed and cheered as contestants delivered exaggerated monologues on why they deserve to win.
The contest taps into a social media trend referring to a man who reads feminist literature, sports tote bags, guzzles matcha drinks and listens to indie female singers to appeal to women.
The same organizers behind last year’s viral Jack Harlow look-a-like contest hosted this week’s campus showdown.
For this year’s winner, Carleton second-year engineering student Omar Beyk, the performance wasn’t just for show.
Wearing his polaroid camera as a neck piece, Beyk leaned into the bit and won over the crowd.
When asked how it felt to win, Beyk laughed.
“It’s not surprising,” he said. “I was just being my true self.”
Featured image by Itoro Umanah/the Charlatan
