Crowning Princes of Performativity: University News Media Framing of the “Performative Male” Trend

• In Event: Sociology of Sex and Gender Section Open Call Paper Session-Gender, Media, and Power: Representation, Resistance, and Ideology

Abstract

The online meme of the “performative male” is a composite of interests, behaviors, and props that convey a new “sensitive” man. Over the past six months, performative male contests have been held across American university campuses where men are judged for how well they embody and parody this archetype. As a recent trend in both digital culture and campus culture, the performative male phenomenon raises important questions around contemporary gender norms, performances, and relations. In this study, we draw on university newspaper articles (n=93) to examine how the performative male archetype and contests are framed. In doing so, we explain how the performative male is constructed by student journalists, how campus contests constitute a novel form of gender play and advocacy, and how broader ideologies and anxieties about gender and sexuality are used to frame this phenomenon.

Authors

• Casey Scheibling, University of Nevada-Reno

• Taylor Cavallo, University of Minnesota