Lineup of the ‘Performative Jaspers’ for the contest. SARAH ROLKA / THE QUADRANGLE
Sarah Rolka, Staff Writer
On Nov. 19, vice presidents of the Kakos School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS) Arianna Perez and Grace Nariani hosted Manhattan University’s first-ever Performative Jasper Contest.
These contests became a trend particularly in the New York City area during the summer of 2025, and has led to many college campuses hosting their own.
“Performative” refers to someone who pretends to be cultured and well-versed with topics such as literature and music to impress someone. Contests like the one at MU intend to showcase the stereotype in a comedic and satirical light.
The hosts, Perez, a sophomore biology and political science double major and Nariani, a junior childhood education major, both spoke to The Quadrangle as to why it’s important to host more “fun” events like this.
“I think something so unique about our school is that the community is very small, so we’re very close … even though I didn’t know a lot of these people by name, I know them by face and we see them all the time,” Nariani said. “A lot of them [participants of the event] are in KSAS, so community building is something I think our school really does need to focus on because everyone had so much fun here.”
Leading up to the event, both Perez and Nariani were afraid the contest may not be well-attended. However, they were still excited to host and were ultimately pleased with the turnout the event ultimately had.
“We’ve been talking about this since October,” Nariani said. “It was so fun putting together the prize basket. The prize basket had a Smiski, a Clairo album, a “Pride and Prejudice” book…We were really happily surprised [with the turnout]. I think that sometimes, when you plan events like this, it’s frustrating when you put a lot of work into it and no one goes. But even if it’s just a few people that go, everyone has fun.”
Contestants were judged on how “performative” they acted based on the opinion of the audience. Amanda Taub-Runo, a senior environmental science major, was an attendee and gave her opinions on what a performative male is to her.
“A performative male is really about the lifestyle,” Taub-Runo said. “I think it’s really about needing women in your life, being sensitive and being mindful of the patriarchy.”
Grace Glynn, a junior chemical engineering major, participated in the contest herself and added her thoughts on what a performative male is.
“…Taking broad topics and trying to pretend they [performative people] know more about it,” Glynn said. “Or topics or struggles that they might not actually relate to but pretend they do.”
The hosts also added their own positive spin on the topic as well.
“If you want to explore a new hobby or something, get a new drink besides a black coffee … If that makes you performative, that just makes you unique,” Nariani said. “Be fun, step out of your comfort zone. I think it’s great that the performative [aspect] is hysterical, but I also think it’s really good that men are not embarrassed to do ‘girly things.’”
Perez commented on how New York City is a center for these stereotypes and images. She emphasized how being “performative” is almost expected in a city like this.
“We’re in the city of performance,” Perez said. “Everybody comes to New York for art school, everybody comes to New York for fashion. This is just the city for it.”