FAU College Democrats, a student organization, hosted a “Performative Male” contest, part of a growing social media trend on college campuses around the country, on the Boca Raton campus on Friday.

According to an article by the Block Club Chicago, the ‘Performative Male” contest pokes fun at men who pretend to be feminists in an effort to attract progressive women. Many FAU contestants auditioned in front of the College Democrats as they showed off their favorite female music artists’ CDs and advocated for equal pay for women and reproductive rights. The contest, ultimately wrapped up with the first place winner being Erith Funes, a first-year theatre major.

Dozens of students gathered in their corduroy pants and tote bags, sipping matcha lattes as they performed for the contest’s first-place prizes: a hug from a woman, a tote bag, a vinyl from a pre-selected array of artists such as Sade and Mac DeMarco, and Michelle Obama’s book, “Becoming.”Dante Garcia-Barratt, a junior biology major and the competition’s third-place winner, defined what a “performative male” is to them.

“A performative male is a male that caters to the female gaze,” said Garcia-Barratt. “So matcha, Levis, Mitski, vinyls, feminist literature, tote bags and a nice little outfit. Almost bisexual, but not exactly there yet.”

From questions such as, “Who’s your favorite feminist icon?” to “What’s your favorite right that Susan B. Anthony fought for?”, the FAU Democrats judged the contestants on a scale of one to 10, scoring contestants based on how well they showcased their “performative” talents.

Students held Lana Del Rey, beabadoobee, and SZA vinyls, all representative of the “performative male” aesthetic, as they faced off for the highest scores.

Dabensy Alcius, a junior studying psychology, also found out about the contest when the club was tabling in the Breezeway. Alcius watched as the students competed.

“It is very fun and entertaining,” said Alcius. “The people are very good at performing. They’re very funny to watch.”

One of the contestants, Joeco Tabernilla, a sophomore management information systems major, found out about the event through his friend Valeria Jaramillo. Jaramillo, a senior majoring in communications, felt that Tabernilla had the highest chance of winning.

“I think he had the highest potential of winning the performative male competition,” said Jaramillo. “He wears cardigans. He’s also a feminist. He’s just a very performative guy. So, I think he fit the bill.”

Tabernilla performed wearing dangly earrings, keychain charms, and, unlike any other contestant, he brought his puppy, London, and roses for the judges.

Although Tabernilla garnered a lot of crowd reactions, the winners came down to three students. Garcia-Barratt placed third, Adler Monpremier, a sophomore theatre major, came in second place, and Erith Funes took the first-place spot.

Funes, dressed in a cardigan and holding a tote bag, entered the competition as a joke at first, only taking it seriously after he saw that he could win a Mac DeMarco, “This Old Dog” vinyl.

“This was super fun and energetic,” Funes said. “I was nervous when I saw that I could win my favorite vinyl because I really, really wanted it. This was a great birthday gift.”

Kaii Thompson is the Culture Reporter for the University Press. For more information on this or other stories, you can contact Thompson at kaiiliburdthompson@gmail.com or direct message her @kaiiliburd on Instagram.