Crowds gather on Capitol Hill for pop-up 'Performative Male Contest' in Seattle
SEATTLE - From flyers and TikTok videos to a gathering of hundreds at Cal Anderson Park, a spontaneous contest brought young people together in one of Seattle's most vibrant cultural hubs, Capitol Hill. Some videos circulating online about the events earned hundreds of thousands of views over the weekend.
The contest comes as more young people look for ways to bring eachother together in person for pop-up events like the celebrity lookalike competitions we saw in 2024.
"It's fun to beat the ‘Seattle Freeze’ and unite people over something fun and light-hearted," said event organizers Lanna Rain and Guinevere.
Timeline:
On Friday, Aug. 1, the "Performative Male Contest" brought in crowds of contestants and onlookers to the historic park for a lighthearted poke at an emerging style.
The crowd filtered in around 7 p.m. as contestants began to line up for public judgement. Participants were displayed to those gathered and sorted into groups based on the roar, or boos, coming from the crowd.
Crowds gather for Performative Male Contest on Capitol Hill
Common items worn by contestants included tote bags, Labubu dolls, vinyl records, books and baggy trousers.
Dozens of people were judged and shuffled into groups until a winner was announced. Marcus Jernigan took home the top prize with not just a vinyl, but an entire record player in tow.
"Performative Male Contest" winner Marcus Jernigan
The crowd got in on the fun too. Those who did not compete still offered their own commentary. One such example was an attendee who made their rounds with a sign that read, "put tariffs on men who like Clairo." Another sign read "men used to build houses."
Signs read "put tariffs on men who like Clairo" and "men used to build houses" at the Performative Male contest at Cal Anderson Park in Seattle on Aug. 1, 2025.
The organizers
Lanna Rain and Guinevere organized the event in Cal Anderson Park and served as announcers throughout the competition series. Shared posts estimate a crowd size of around 300 people.
What they're saying:
"Nothing could have prepared us for the size. I knew the TikToks had a ton of shares, but I honestly thought it was from people outside of Seattle," Rain said.
"I knew it would be big, but not that big," Guinevere added. They said the turnout for this event was heartwarming and will help them plan for their next one, possibly coming in September.
When asked about what inspired them to put on this contest, Rain said there was a similar event in New York City. However, the pair noted that they tried to put a unique and local spin on it by reaching out to the community for input on questions to ask during the interview portion of the contest.
Contest organizers Lanna Rain and Guinevere
What is a ‘performative male’?
Event organizer Lanna Rain gave her description of the emerging "type." "My best description of a performative male is a man who wears feminism and softness and certain music as a guy to allure women without actually knowing anything about what they’re putting on or talking about."
Rain joked that Seattle was a great place to host such an event.
"We honestly just thought there were so many people like that in Seattle that it would be an easy event to host here, where maybe in New York people were more embarrassed to claim that about themselves. But, we knew Seattlites had a good sense of humor."
The backstory:
Lanna Rain and Guinevere say they met up once before the event to plan out flyers and logistics. They say there were just about two weeks between forming the idea and the Aug. 1 contest day.
The self-funded effort was helped by organic social media buzz, a cache of community organizing materials on hand, and the donation of an authentic Labubu prize by Corteezy.
A week prior to the contest, a flyer emerged on the r/SeattleWA subreddit. The listed prize was one handmade pearl necklace and a copy of "The Will to Change" by Bell Hooks. These are among the many staple items donned by the so-called "performative male."
Performative male contest flyer (posted by reddit user Beneficial_Diver_580)
As the post gained traction, videos began populating on TikTok and Instagram talking more about the event. Recap videos of the event garnered more than 1 million views over the weekend.
The Capitol Hill neighborhood is a bustling cultural hub in the city. FOX 13 recently reported on an unclaimed, and disputed, "Hot Rat Summer" mosaic installation in the area.
Additionally, in nearby Volunteer Park last December, another trend of pop-up celebrity lookalike competitions taking the country by storm landed on Capitol Hill with a Paul Mescal lookalike competition.
Organizer Rain joked it was easy to remember this event, as she was dating an Irish guy who looked like the "Gladiator II" star at the time.
Paul Mescal lookalike competition in Seattle amid national wave of contests
In Seattle's Volunteer Park, a competition to see who looked the most like "Gladiator" star Paul Mescal kicked off on Saturday. The "Normal People" alum is just one of many celebrities becoming the focus of community-led contests. A recent Timothee Chalamet (Lady Bird, Dune, Call Me by Your Name) competition in New York City garnered a crowd of thousands, even leading to some arrests during the frenzy.
The Source: Information for this story came from original FOX 13 Seattle interviews, and posts to social media from cited sources.
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