Did Georgetown’s most Performative Men revive campus whimsy?

This past Sunday, those enjoying an afternoon stroll on campus may have spotted 24 silly sock-wearing, guitar-strumming men lined up on the White Gravenor steps.

The anticipation in the air may have led a passerby to believe a celebrity had just arrived on campus, as a crowd of about 150 students swarmed the scene. They would have actually stumbled by Georgetown’s first Performative Man contest.

Georgetown’s most Performative Men dressed their best to compete for a $20 “Performative Prize.” The prize is just enough cash to buy three Corp matcha lattes, said Nick Hasbun (CAS ’28), who organized and emceed the contest.

Crowned the (second) Most Performative Man in the DMV, Hasbun was more than qualified to lead the contest. After competing at the Aug. 30 Performative Man Contest in McPherson Square, Hasbun wanted to bring the fun to Georgetown. He marketed the event by putting up flyers in Red Square and posting on Fizz, where his posts received more than 2,000 upvotes.

Photo courtesy of Nick Hasbun

Georgetown’s version of the contest reflected the school’s specific personality, standing out from the Performative Male contests popping up in other major cities and college campuses. When asked to name any three women, in Georgetown spirit, most of the contestants chose politicians.

Hasbun’s final question for contestants once again referenced the Georgetown poli-sci stereotype: “If you could choose any woman to be the first female president, who would you choose and why?” Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Chappell Roan, and the contestants’ moms made the top picks.

The competition marks a refreshing departure from Georgetown hustle culture, Hasbun said.

“With Georgetown being more stereotypically highly-strung, having a contest like this is kind of funny,” Hasbun said.

Multiple audience members thanked Hasbun for organizing the event and giving them a break from academic stresses. However, as any Performative Man would agree, behind every great man is an even greater woman.

Hasbun’s mom, Sonia King, joined the contest as a guest judge. King is a professor of Political Science and U.S. Government at St. Petersburg College in Florida. She brought her natural stage presence from the classroom to Copley Lawn, asking each contestant: “How do you mend a woman’s broken heart?”

Contestants responded that if they broke a woman’s heart—an unthinkable possibility—they would buy her entire Amazon wishlist, tape their mouths shut so as not to impose a man’s opinion over a woman’s, or serenade her with Clairo and the Goo Goo Dolls while strumming a guitar. Two contestants committed to the serenade with live demonstrations.

Photo by Alisa Patel

King said she enjoyed watching students create caricatures that mirrored her daily interactions growing up in ’90s Seattle, when today’s Performative Men were better known as “posers”. When asked to name the most Performative Man she has ever met, King could not choose from all the options that came to mind.

“I came out of the performative male era, in the ’90s when it was literally everywhere,” King said. “That’s why I’m an expert and I’m qualified to be a judge. There was a lot of toxicity in that era.”

Besides some new references to music and literature, King found Georgetown students’ interpretations of the current Performative Man persona to remain accurate to the original ’90s Performative Men.

“Performative males still have their craft, they’re just using different tools,” King said.

King said that the contest’s theme references complex, often polarizing topics like gender roles and misogyny with a satirical and lighthearted tone.

“I think it’s just great to take a break and have a common creative thread that you can all laugh at and enjoy, where anybody can participate,” King said. “This theme could certainly have been seen as negative or very political, but you all let off steam and made it light.”

Photo by Alisa Patel

After drawing in a sizable audience for the contest, Hasbun is already planning the next installment: a battle of Performative Lesbians taking place Sunday, Sept. 21, at noon on Copley Lawn.

“I’ll take this as an opportunity to become a campus celeb,” Hasbun said.

He added that he would like to see similar events on campus for students across clubs, friend groups, and majors to congregate without pressure to study or network.

“I’m so grateful that I’ve been able to organize this silly and whimsical event for silly and whimsical people to meet each other,” Hasbun said. “Especially today, humor is the best medicine.”

Before you go… in their contestant introductions, Georgetown’s most Performative Men recommended books and albums (on vinyl, of course). The Voice compiled a list to add to your Goodreads and playlists.

Georgetown Performative Men-curated reading list: