On a Thursday afternoon, some might have seen a loose circle of men seated inside The Preserve taking turns reading quotes from the book “Little Women.” Tote bags resting on the floor beside them, their conversation drifted from 19th-century gender roles to their relevance in the modern day.
They were members of the Performative Male Bookclub, a new organization on campus.
Founded last semester by math major Finn Braun ‘29, the club began as a satirical take on a “performative male” trend popularized on social media.
Braun defines the term as someone who adopts feminist-coded behaviors “superficially to appeal to a liberal-feminist perspective,” without fully internalizing those values. “I don’t consider myself performative,” he said. “I like reading feminist literature even when I’m not showing it off to people.”
Members have also read “The Handmaid’s Tale” and are currently tackling Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple.” About eight students attend weekly meetings, although the group has around 20 members, Braun said.
Outside perceptions vary.
“It’s obviously a joke,” Henry Hart ‘29 said regarding the club. “The whole performative male thing is kind of funny. Performative people have a certain look or do things that are performative—like drinking their chai latte.”
Braun understands the humor but hopes to blend it with genuine dialogue.
“I think there are a lot of topics in the books we read we don’t think about all the time,” he said. “I hope through the club people develop richer, more complicated ideas about feminism and how to be a positive member of society.”