From white shirts to tote bags, here’s your guide to spotting—or becoming—the performative man.
Five minutes into walking around BGC, Salcedo, or Rockwell, you will probably see a man wearing an oversized white shirt, baggy cargo pants, loafers or mules, and a tote bag. An initial, surface-level scan might lead you to think, “Oh, he has decent fashion taste.” But then you see his right hand holding an overpriced iced matcha latte (with oat milk, of course), and on his left hand is some big literary title written by a woman, like Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar or Joan Didion’s The White Album. Then it instantly clicks: right in front of you is the myth and TikTok legend himself, the quintessential performative man.
Performative men may be the internet’s punchline this month (well-deserved, by the way), but we can’t deny they have style. Though influenced by internet trends, these men craft a facade that is visually appealing and wearable. If you want to mimic the look, we’ve dissected their signature style to guide you the next time you go shopping—or looking for your local performative man on the street.
READ ALSO: The Performative Man Is Trending—And He’s In On The Joke
The Performative White Shirt
Crisp, oversized, and slightly wrinkled—because he “didn’t have time” to iron (too busy thinking about art and late stage capitalism). It’s the perfect blank canvas for projecting depth.
Baggy Pants = More Room For Deception
Loose enough to look effortlessly cool, yet structured enough to suggest he “knows his proportions.” These pants are a visual metaphor for all the space he leaves for interpretation.
Tote Bag That Fits All The Lies
Canvas or leather, but always slung over one shoulder like an accessory to his curated personality. Inside: a laptop, a Moleskine, and the truth—buried somewhere at the bottom. Bonus if the tote spots a niche cultural reference so he doesn’t need to explain how much he knows (or pretends to know).
Shoes That Elevate The Performative Look
Loafers or mules that whisper, “I could’ve gone corporate, but I chose authenticity.” Bonus points if they’re scuffed in just the right places.
