With the rise in lookalike contests and performative male internet memes, Binghamton University was hit with a sea of matcha-drinking, feminist literature-reading men in its own “performative man contest” on the Spine last Friday.

Following the event’s announcement earlier last week on its newly created Instagram page, the self-run contest was led by several judges who allowed each contestant to make a pitch to the crowd. After participants showcased their outfits, wired headphones and guitars, the audience voted on who they believed to be “most performative.”

Aligning with online memes, feminism and female creatives were a central topic of discussion. The “performative male” is typically a self-proclaimed feminist, engaging in pro-women discourse solely for approval and modeling their personality and style after what they perceive women want.

While distributing menstrual products, one contestant was asked how he felt about menstruation, to which he began to chant “fuck period cramps,” urging the crowd to join.

Daphne Linn, a judge for the event and a freshman majoring in English, explained that the event was unique to college life — coming out of class and seeing such an eccentric, nonsensical contest rooted in Gen Z humor was very different from the typical high school experience.

Merchandise from female artists like Beabadoobee, Clairo and Lana Del Rey was also on full display, as contestants wore merch and showed off vinyls to demonstrate their interest in women-centered spaces. This was also showcased in the form of feminist literature, as contestants displayed their knowledge of women’s history and social struggles to the audience.

Morgan Brenner, a sophomore majoring in industrial and systems engineering, shared why he decided to compete in the contest.

“I was just tired of seeing the state of the world today,” Brenner said. “I really felt I needed to see some change, and I thought I would share my insights with the world.”

Matcha, Labubus and tote bags were all popular choices for props, while some contestants even played their guitars for the audience. Although they seemed to blur together in their fashion sense, each contestant displayed their interests in creative ways through their accessories.

Brenner discussed how the contest played out and his preparation for the event.

“It’s pretty grueling,” Brenner said. “Most people went out and bought matcha, but what are they doing? I brewed my own yerba mate. I don’t mess around, it really means so much to be here today.”

Contestants wore staples to the performative look like button-down shirts, trousers or baggy jeans and were accessorized head to toe with jewelry, carabiners and skateboards.

Ben Hymowitz, a freshman majoring in philosophy, politics and law, explained that his look was “Bushwick inspired and Brooklyn made,” a nod to a specific category of performative men who make living in Brooklyn central to their identity.

“I get called performative on the daily,” Hymowitz said. “And I just thought that I’d prove that I’m the most performative one.”

Most contestants stayed in character even before making their pitch to the crowd, engaging in light discourse with one another.

“I think it’s great that they’re all coming out and making jokes about it because sometimes people get upset about stuff,” Linn said. “But everyone’s just having a really good time being light-hearted, and it’s a lot of fun to bring people together. I feel like people are talking to people that they don’t know and making friends, and that’s really cool to see — random stuff bringing people together.”