The performative male: we know them, we love them and we love to hate them. The phenomena is nothing new — the culturally attuned, ironically self-aware and oftentimes self-aggrandizing breed of male has existed long before the Criterion Collection launched in 1984 and Jacob Elordi began growing his enviable Bottega collection.
But discourse around the guy-coded canon did reach a fever pitch this year, thanks in part to a nostalgia for monoculture and the rise of social media. For better or worse, it’s now easier than ever to signal taste through what you watch, read or buy. In an increasingly fragmented world, these shared reference points serve as as either a comforting anchor — or an aesthetic.
Of course, no performative male is the same. There’s the movie guy, whose love for “Fight Club, “Heat,” “Drive” or “Goodfellas” is a signature personality trait (for them, we suggest a 4K rerelease or a Criterion tote). There’s the fashion guy who has kept Maison Margiela Tabis in an online shopping cart for more than a year and owns multiple pairs of Carharrt carpenter pants (you can’t go wrong with the Replica Jazz Club cologne). There’s the gentle guy who whisks matcha from scratch while listening to Clairo on vinyl (several of these record releases will do). And, of course, there’s the reader whose books signal a worldview — whether it’s a classic David Foster Wallace or, for a true ally of female authors, a copy of “The Secret History” by Donna Tartt.
Below, is a comprehensive gift guide for every kind of performative male in your life. While you’re at it, you might as well help them find someone to fill their two-week sublet in Bushwick ahead of the holidays.
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