Feminist literature was read, guitars were played, and tampons were thrown at Kingston’s first “performative male contest.”
Competitions over which masculine competitor most appeals to women’s tastes in fashion, music, and literature are trending among college students. Lay Low Café in downtown Kingston seized the moment on Oct. 8, packing the house as fifty contestants flaunted their vinyl records and viral Labubu keychains before hundreds of cheering spectators—all hoping to earn the ironic title of Kingston’s “most performative male.”
In an interview with The Journal, the emcee of the contest, Naveini Vasikaran, Compsci ’28, described a performative male as someone “who’s just doing it for the ladies.”
“It’s not real,” she said. “Sometimes I’ll walk past a guy and I’ll just know it’s not authentic. Do you really like Clairo,, or is that a lie?”
Vasikaran was inspired to host the event after clips of similar competitions on TikTok. “I thought it would be so funny,” she said. “And I feel like with the demographic of Queen’s students, I knew it would do so well.”
The contest began with a preliminary question period. Candidates were asked about the women who’ve most inspired them, with “Ruth Bader Ginsburg” and “my mom” being the most common answers. Participants were also quizzed on how often tampons need to be changed, and were put on the spot to name three songs by Clairo, a popular indie songwriter.
Lay Low judges eliminated almost half of the contestants before moving onto round two. Some of the “performative males” leaned into the “performance” aspect of the event, dazzling the crowd with guitar solos, harmonica playing, and one particularly memorable acoustic DJ set of Addison Rae’s “Diet Pepsi.”
After the competition was narrowed down to a final three, the winner was chosen through audience applause. Adyan Nadeem, HealthSci ‘29, was Kingston’s newly elected “most performative male,” and won a $100 Lay Low gift card. In an interview with The Journal, he said “being a performative male means everything to [him.]”
“[The contest] means taking care of the people around, it means just being there for women,” Nadeem said. “It’s also about your ecological impact. I came late today, but that’s because I walked here. I didn’t take the bus. I didn’t Uber. Absolutely not.”
Each contestant received one of Vasikaran’s featured matcha drinks at Lay Low, which will be sold later this month with all proceeds being donated to Kingston’s Sexual Assault Centre.
Tags
Contests, Culture, downtown Kingston, Internet, Lay Low Cafe, performative male, viral
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