On Wednesday, Sept. 17, students came to school wearing corded headphones, sipping on matcha, and carrying feminist literature, all inspired by the viral “Performative Male” trend on TikTok. 

The Talon recently reported on the trend, which explores the idea of a male ‘performing’ for the female gaze by drinking matcha, listening to artists like Clairo, Beabadoobea and feigning interest in feminism. OPHS spirit week featured ‘performative day’ for the first time ever. 

Junior Grace Popham, who is part of the spirit committee in ASB, first pitched the idea.

“We’re trying to make it something the whole school can do,” Popham said. “I personally pitched the idea and was so excited for it. I felt like people were going to be passionate about it and dress up because it’s very trendy.” 

Part of the reason they chose this theme is because it is easy to participate in.

“There’s some elements like a tote bag and glasses that you can definitely add to your outfit to make it more performative,” senior Nidhi Dhunaka said.

Many students across campus participated in dressing up and stayed in character for interviews. 

“We just felt compelled to respect women and just show that we are in tune with our feminine touch,” sophomore Mason Dahlgren said.

The theme was so popular today that students who do not typically participate in spirit days were compelled to dress up.

“I sometimes do [participate in spirit days], I think more of the driving force was that it was funny and I thought it would be really cool to see everyone dressed up that way because it’s a trend,” Dhunaka said. 

Some students even joked that they were ‘accidentally’ on theme.

“I would describe myself as a performative male, actually; I just happen to be wearing the right clothes today,” junior Cameron McNeily said.