India, Nov. 15 -- Move over crisp shirts, sturdy shoes, and reliable trousers; today's man carries a tote bag, wears a pastel oversized sweatshirt, and probably has a labubu doll as a bag charm. He is a 'performative male,' a bold, in-your-face evolution of the 'soft boy' aesthetic. With over 20 million views on posts and reels tagged #performativemale, the trend is taking over the internet. For him, being seen is just as important as what he wears, much of it designed to turn heads. "Many men are indeed embracing fashion as a form of self-expression, experimenting with silhouettes, colour, jewellery, and grooming that past generations might have considered 'unmasculine.' It's all about owning the gaze rather than avoiding it," says designer Prasoon Sharma of label Triune. Pointing to designer Thom Browne's exaggerated proportions and conceptual suits, he adds, "This transforms a business staple into performance art." Designer Taarini Anand, however, notes that a lot of human behaviour, including how we dress, is performative. "Fashion is self-expression, but expression always implies an audience. There's undoubtedly a performative layer to dressing for social media, but that doesn't make it hollow. Visibility doesn't cancel authenticity; it reframes it," she adds. This aesthetic is also being shaped by a growing culture of male beauty contests, which have quietly taken root across campuses and public spaces, from the University of Minnesota, MIT, and Yale to San Francisco's El Square Park and Delhi's Safdarjung Enclave. The shift didn't happen overnight. Pop icons and K-pop idols made high-gloss self-styling aspirational, while memes defining the 'performative male starter pack' - including what he wears, listens to, drinks, and posts - have only accelerated the trend. But while the aesthetic celebrates self-expression, it also raises questions about pressure and presentation. In a world of filters and fit checks, is performative masculinity indeed liberating, or another aesthetic cage? "Performativity in men's fashion exists in a paradox. On one hand, it's deeply liberating; it's allowed men to explore beauty, emotion, and sensuality in ways that were once off-limits. But on the other hand, it can easily become another aesthetic mould, one that chases validation through trends or the external gaze, often designed to appeal outwardly rather than inwardly," says Meenia Sahil, creative director and designer at label Hindostan Archive....