Viral Sketch "Performative Male" Ignites Debate on Online Personas and Authenticity

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - A recent viral video by content creator flolerigolo has sparked widespread discussion online, humorously depicting the "performative male" trope. Filmed in what appears to be the Kuala Lumpur Botanical Garden, the 27-second sketch showcases a man engaging in activities often associated with a curated, intellectual image, such as reading classic literature and drinking matcha, while subtly revealing the superficiality behind these actions.The video opens with a voice-over asking, "What's your political opinion?" to which the man, holding a book and a matcha drink, replies, "Oh, I think woman periods should be abolished." This statement immediately sets a satirical tone. Later, when asked about the book he's reading, "Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen," he struggles to articulate its content, mumbling "um, um." The sketch further highlights the performative nature when he claims to be listening to music by Clairo, despite his earphones being visibly unplugged.The video, which has garnered over 420,000 views and 22,600 likes, has resonated with many, drawing comments like "the best performative male content ever" and "I find this whole performative reading thing brilliant! I love it!" Some users also humorously pointed out details, such as "Why no one mentioned the book being upside down😭" and "bro just be doing side quests in malaysia 😭". The creator, flolerigolo, described the video as "performative male #humor" and mentioned it was "Recorded after the performative male contest in KL botanical garden," suggesting a broader context of this social phenomenon.The sketch serves as a witty commentary on the desire for external validation through carefully constructed public personas, particularly prevalent in online spaces.

GQ Taiwan

喜歡拉布布、襯衫、牛仔褲有錯嗎？為何歐美網友都在模仿、嘲笑「文藝表演男」？

你聽過歐美流行用語「Performative Male」嗎？這專指那些身穿短版襯衫、七分牛仔褲，身旁擺著掛有 Labubu 的帆布包和半杯抹茶拿鐵，坐在公園長椅「表演」閱讀的男生們。你大概就已經感受到，這個稱呼並不是讚美，反而還帶著調侃與批判。所以我們今天不是要告訴你如何成為一名 Performa…