Performative Masc Contest

Photo by Jenna Lee, NC State ‘27. 

On Friday, Set. 12 2025 a group of “performative mascs” gathered in front of Johnson Hall for the Performative Masc Competition. Following in the footsteps of the first “performative male” contest held in Seattle on Aug. 1, 2025, these contests have taken the country by storm. People flock to these events with matcha and feminist literature in hand, hoping to out perform the other attendees. 

After seeing Smith College host a performative masc competition, Hannah Keravuori ‘28 decided to bring this phenomenon to Meredith College. The queer community here at Meredith showed out as 11 performative “mascs” took the stage to win over the crowd. The contestants first had to introduce themselves and show off an array of items from totebags to toolbelts and even a keytar (a strong choice as Kaysha Kovadia ‘29 says, “women love the keytar”). After the crowd selected their top five favorite mascs, they faced a question round. The crowd was able to participate in this segment asking questions such as “How do you feel about a witchy girlfriend?” “How many dates until you know she’s the one?” “How long do you wait to text back after a first date?” “and “How many exes do you have (and which one do you still think about)?” 

After the mascs gave their most thoughtful responses, the final two were chosen to arm wrestle for the title of most performative masc. It was a grueling match, but ultimately, Gabby Foster ‘26 was declared the winner of the contest. In their acceptance speech Gabby was practically speechless due to “all the pretty women staring at [them],” but being named the most performative masc at Meredith “means everything to [them].” 

By Grayson Morris, EIC

Photo gallery by Jenna Lee, NC State ‘27