The Performative Reader (and Why I’m Here for It)
By Valentina Roca
Recently, my dear friend was telling me about this date she went on, where the guy was complaining about performative men and how every time he sees a man reading, it’s either a book by Sally Rooney or John Steinbeck. The next day, she got on the L and saw three men in the same car reading different iterations of Steinbeck books.
There’s a big trend right now going on with performativity, especially with performative men, and I’m here to say, I’m all for it (especially when it comes to reading)! I’ve loved reading ever since I was young. I used to steal books from my parents’ bookshelf and spend hours reading them under the pine tree in my front yard. I’ve carried that love of reading into early adulthood, and have had the greatest experience working at a publishing company for the summer. And I’m going to be fully transparent, when I see a guy reading, I start to imagine my whole life with them. Why is that?
Within the whole trend of performativity, more and more people have started leaning into intellectual aesthetics as part of their personal brand. But all I’m hearing is that reading is back in style.
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When I reference “performative men,” I mean men who are actively curating their identity in an attempt to be seen. I’m talking about the guy who spends more time arranging his bookshelf for an aesthetic picture than actually reading any of the books on it. It’s pure content: every hobby, preference, and interest gets wrapped into a perfect present for others to unwrap. But I can’t help but be intrigued when I see a man post a TikTok reviewing his favorite novels, even though it seems like he hasn’t read a book since his sophomore English teacher made him read The Great Gatsby.
I don’t think performativity is necessarily a bad thing. Performance has always been a part of identity. People have always dressed, acted, and spoken in ways that signal who they are or who they wish to be. The internet just makes it easier to broadcast it. In this context, reading is no longer just a hobby; it becomes a performance too. Books aren’t just read, they’re displayed, highlighted, and integrated into the curated self.
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I believe that books are becoming status symbols in a way they haven’t been seen in a while. Posting a photo of the novel you’re reading or casually name-dropping a book isn’t just about sharing taste; it’s about signaling depth and intellect. In the past, reading may have been kept mostly private, but now the dynamic has changed. It’s become a rarer interest, and public-facing at that. In a way, this shift has turned reading into some sort of cultural currency. Owning and being seen with the right books can elevate you socially, professionally, and even romantically.
Let’s be honest, there’s always been something undeniably attractive about someone reading in public (or is it just me…?). The person absorbed in a fantasy book at the park or the one with a paperback tucked under their arm on the subway. It suggests mystery, patience, and curiosity. And in the age of scrolling and swiping, those qualities are magnetic.
The “reader” isn’t just a quiet archetype anymore; they’re a fully formed aesthetic. Videos of people annotating poetry, slow-mo shots flipping through a Hemingway book, BookTok recaps of someone’s TBR. These images circulate as proof that intellect and sensitivity are actively desirable and compatible with masculinity.
The attractiveness of a reader comes from more than the act of reading itself. It’s about what reading represents: depth, curiosity, and the ability to sit with silence instead of needing constant stimulation. In a culture obsessed with instant gratification, the person who can patiently work through 400 pages feels almost radical. And radical, in this context, is hot.
The word performative is usually met with disgust. It suggests inauthenticity, like someone is more interested in appearing thoughtful than actually embodying the trait. And yes, I can admit, there is something somewhat icky about the guy who buys a stack of classics just to post them. But doesn’t performance often lead to practice?
Even if someone starts reading to look interesting, the act itself can still change them. You can’t fake yourself through Baldwin without absorbing something. You can’t highlight page after page just for Instagram without, at some point, engaging with the text. Maybe performativity shouldn’t be judged so harshly. Does it truly matter if the original impulse was to impress? The outcome of more people reading, more conversations being sparked, and more appetite for depth is worth it. If the age of performative men brings us back to the age of literature, maybe that’s something to celebrate.
So, if somehow this has convinced you to start picking up more books, I’ve come prepared. I’ve asked around and compiled a short list of books that are not only eye-catching when someone sees them in public, but great reads as well. Each one is matched to a vibe, but don’t worry, I’ll leave a little mystery to them as well.
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The Overthinker: The Idiot by Elif Batuman
The Academic: Babel by R.F. Kuang
The Storyteller: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
The Softie: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
The Realist: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
The Observer: Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
The Detective: Strange Houses by Uketsu
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At the end of the day, whether it starts as performance or passion, reading is back in the cultural spotlight. If people are turning to books as part of their curated identity, fine, let them. The truth is, books do much more than just signal who we are. They give us a language for our desires, our anxieties, our ambitions. So if holding a paperback in public makes someone a little sexier, or posting their bookshelf makes them a bit performative, so what? At least it means literature is part of the conversation again. So here’s the invitation: read because it’s worth it. Pick up something that excites and challenges you. And the sexiest thing you can do is actually finish it.
