The performative trend is emerging on TikTok and Instagram as creators gently mock the overly styled, staged actions meant more for shows than real life.
Like pretending to read a book purely for its cover aesthetic, posed productivity scenes, or quiet matcha-sipping vignettes that say “I’m aesthetic” more than they say anything else.
Critics point to this trend as a sign of growing skepticism toward social media personas, a replica of curated confidence that’s often hollow.
A recent “performative male” meme perfectly highlights this, showing men posed with matcha lattes, tote bags, feminist books, and vinyl records as visual signals of sensitive identity, raising questions about authenticity vs. performance.
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