Hundreds of people gathered in Soho Square to witness the crowning of London’s most performative man last Saturday.
But what is a performative man? And why has this trend of park-based competitions gone viral online?
Summer 2025 marked the rise of two new trends that culminated in performative man competitions taking place globally including in London.
The first trend was sparked by a Timothee Chalamet look alike competition that took place in New York’s central park in late 2024. The competition went viral and sparked many other lookalike contests globally, including the subsequent performative man competitions.
The performative man trend skyrocketed on TikTok as a means of poking fun at young men who adapt their personal interests and personalities to appeal to women.
The typical performative man can be found drinking matcha with his nails-painted, whilst wearing oversized baggy jeans, listening to some Clairo in his wired headphones, with a tote bag to hand to carry around feminist literature.
Some Labubu’s, free sanitary products and a ukelele or guitar might also be to hand.
One spectator at the competition, Chenika Amoah, 23, from London said: “This performative man competition is eye opening when you realise that a lot of men know what women like.”
One competitor, Vlad Baynov, 29, from Hackey said: “I’m here being a performative male seeing if I can outshine the others here, I’ve got my little bag of goodies in here and Clairo fresh from the store.”
The competition on Saturday saw hundreds of people crammed into a giant semi-circle in Soho Square to witness the spectacle and was organised by the Dating app Sonder, as a promotional event.
Tens of prospective participants were turned away due to an unexpectedly large turnout. Participants included both male and female participants.
The competition consisted of two rounds which crowned two separate winners, with voting mainly done through cheers of approval from the crowd.
One contestant threw flowers into the crowd but just came short of winning first place in round one. One performative man wannabe handed out Queen playing cards while others broke into song.
The second-round winner securing his victory by serenading the crowd with an unique edition of Oasis’s Wonderwall.
Baynov, 29, said: “It’s about showing your allyship but in a slightly superficial way.”
Some spectators criticised the broader implications of the trend.
Davina Ansah, 24, said: “Men know what women read, they know what they find funny, what they’re interested in, what they like, what kind of outfits they even want them to wear.
“Events like this showcase that guys are extremely observant and can morph themselves into the man of your dreams if they think that’s what you’re dreaming of.
“It’s a warning to the girls to not fall for it if the man of your dreams suddenly steps into your life, because for all you know he curated that persona to approach you.”
Other attendees and participants praised the event for being a chance to connect within London and make friends.
Participant Matthew, 20, said: “Ever since the start of the year I’ve been seeing so many public events like this, anime singings and I’ve participated in them and have really got to know people.”
Featured Image Credit: Aleena Salman, Instagram: @visuallyna
