“That’s so performative.”
A flip phone? A physical copy of a philosophy book? Performative.
A carefully brewed cup of yerba mate, carried to class in a handmade mug (bonus points if it’s in the hands of a man)? Performative.
This increasingly normalized term is validated by our expectation that everyone must be performing for the external gaze of social media or desperately seeking the approval of those around them. It is validated by the immediate assumption that authenticity is no longer possible. Most importantly, the harmful label of performativity is validated by our own lack of ability to slow down in an inherently accelerating world, shaming those who step outside the traditional system.
The word ‘performative’ has shifted to contradict its original meaning, ironically becoming a contronym. Historically, specifically in social theory, performativity has referred to the very act of bringing something into existence through speech or action. Today, the term is thrown as a jab towards an action that is just for show, a performance that does not create any real change.
This rapidly changing definition, defined by Merriam-Webster as “made or done for show (as to bolster one’s own image or make a positive impression on others),” has circled back to the opposite of the traditional definition. But what if performativity once again represented a form of social resistance?
Sociologist Christian Fuchs defines modernity as acceleration. In a society that aims to produce, circulate and consume more and more commodities in ever less time, aversion to idleness, rest and slowness becomes the norm.
Just as the concept of performativity spread like wildfire through TikTok comments and social media platforms, modernity’s emphasis on rapidity has come to encompass our digital worlds. We have reached a tipping point at which the boundaries between online and offline, between leisure time and labor time, have begun to blur. The term ‘performative’ has become a cultural shorthand for our collective skepticism about authenticity in our rapidly changing, increasingly digitized spaces.
As an increasing percentage of our lives are documented and broadcast online, we are quicker to label something as performative when it seems curated rather than authentic.
Recognizing the harm veiled beneath widely accepted language is not to discredit the fact that some actions are deliberately chosen to enhance social standing or cultivate external validation. There are, of course, people who are curating an image that is not a genuine reflection of their values, but what happens when this label begins to harm those actively working outside our current system of acceleration?
Actions we label as performative are categorized by their slowness. The act of carefully crafting an outfit each morning. Taking the time to appreciate the art of brewing an authentic cup of tea or coffee. Leaping back from the pressure to remain constantly connected by choosing the inconvenient path of a flip phone.
Are these actions truly performative, or is any step towards escaping the trap of wanting more and more at an increasingly fast pace a step towards freedom?
Genuine attempts to step outside of the expectation of exponential consumption, both physically and digitally, are being discredited by a term that originated as a nod to inherently impactful social action.
We are no longer willing to give strangers, or even our closest friends, the benefit of the doubt. Avoiding being labeled as performative means avoiding integral aspects of our humanity that prioritize slowness and provide autonomy from the grip of exhausting capitalist acceleration.
Performativity can once again become an act of social resistance. What do you do when everyone is watching?