The Performative Masc Contest Draws Dedicated Contestants and an Enthusiastic Audience

By Olivia Summer

“We’ve got our contenders ready to fight for the crown!” 

Those words were excitedly shouted to kick off the event. On Friday, dozens of students gathered in The Hub courtyard to watch Queer People of Color’s (QPOC’s) “Performative Masculinity Contest” and cheer on their friends who took part in the event.

Contestants of the Performative Masculinity Contest lined up on the grass before the audience. (Photo by Olivia Summer)

QPOC is a club dedicated to creating a safe and supportive environment for its members within their own community. In their kickoff event of the year, they decided to continue a popular internet trend and bring it here to Purchase. 

“This was actually a very last-minute event,” said sophomore and president of QPOC, Laura Robles-Gomez, “at our last club meeting, I was talking about the performative masc contests all over TikTok and we were like we should actually do this,” laughed Robles-Gomez. 

The trend became popular on TikTok and consists of a competition, a humorous event held on college campuses and in parks, to show off the people who fall into the “masculine lesbian” stereotype and to celebrate them. Contestants typically present an exaggerated version of themselves, dressing up and acting in a manner meant to appeal to women. This “Performative Masc Contest” is a spin-off trend of the “Performative Male Contest,” where masculine-presenting individuals dress up in a way solely to appeal to women and compete for a prize.

“Being masc, it’s something that’s fun for me. I really enjoy it,” said senior Morgan Reichberg, “I feel like I’m most myself and it’s nice to do that in front of people and just have fun!”

Reichberg doing push-ups as her special skill. (Photo by Olivia Summer)

The event consisted of three categories and six competitors to take the metaphorical crown. The categories were “fit”, “special skills”, and the tiebreaker “best pick-up line.” The competitors formed a line in front of the excited audience and went one by one to show off their own spin on the subject. 

“We were not expecting this crowd at all,” said junior and secretary of the club Logan Dorrell-Lyttle, “it started out as a joke and then all of a sudden people were saying they were gonna come out and compete, and it was super exciting.”

The crowd was large and filled with supportive energy from the beginning. The winner was determined by which contestant received the most applause and cheers from the audience. “The audience reaction was super fun,” said junior Lilah Koszalka, one of the competitors in the event, “everyone seemed into it and enthusiastic, which added to the energy.”

Students sit outside near The Hub's entrance, cheering and clapping for the contestants. (Photo by Olivia Summer)

Overall, the event appeared to be a success, leaving many people with smiles on their faces. “I loved the event,” said junior Carly Brennan, “it was so well organized and was just such a great time. I’d absolutely go to something similar again.”

Reichberg, the winner of the competition, was awarded a bag of goodies from the club, along with well-earned bragging rights. “I’m so glad [I did it],” said Reichberg, fresh off her victory, “that’s like the best thing I’ve ever done.” 

Reichberg showing off her prize. (Photo by Olivia Summer)

QPOC has many events in the future to participate in, the biggest being the “Fall Ball,” which takes place the first week of November, featuring student performances and special guests.