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performative cruelty

Putting on a show of belittling, bullying and/or humiliating someone outside of an in-group for the purposes of placating or entertaining those within the group. Usually done to present oneself as "badass" or "hardcore".
In an age of performative cruelty,

kindness is punk as fuck.
Be punk as fuck.
by The Logical Fallacy April 11, 2025
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Peak Performance

Have you ever seen someone effortlessly achieve something that feels totally out of reach for you? Like, they're making it look easy while you're struggling just to get started? That's peak performance. It's when someone is absolutely crushing it, operating on a level that seems almost superhuman.

This phenomenon isn't limited to real life!
In the world of video games, peak performance can feel like pulling off an insane move that makes you look like a pro gamer. It's like channeling the superpowers of your favorite character and dominating the competition.
You after scrolling through Instagram for an hour: feeling like a slug; Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson crushing a workout while filming a movie and building a business empire. Peak performance unlocked.
by PF01 April 15, 2024
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performance drive

It's like a sex drive, but for performances. One's engagement in performing.
BTS's Jungkook has a crazy performance drive. He's always dancing and singing like the rent is due.
by ggukin4k June 26, 2021
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performative male

A cisgender heterosexual man who, out of necessity, imitates and adopts styles and trends associated with a female audience in order to attract and draw the attention of his target or social group. This style or subgenre arises from the man's imperative to fit into a society that no longer shares the prevailing beliefs, forcing him to share, use, and propagate, albeit superficially, alternative trends.

The general archetype is a man who reads feminist literature or female authors, consumes music outside the established niche, wears clothing in soft tones or from alternative brands, drinks matcha or similar beverages in bistro cafes, uses tote bags, and brags of his "open mind."

The archetype is constantly changing and depends on what is globally perceived as acceptable.
I didn't know that wearing wire headphones and drinking and ice latte was a common performative male conduct.
by factd January 26, 2026
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Performality

A sociological condition where the line between "living" and "performing" has completely dissolved. It describes a state where a person cannot experience a moment directly, but only through the lens of how it will look to an audience. It is the habit of acting like a reality TV star in your daily life, even when no one is filming.
Person 1: "Why is she screaming at the barista? There's no one else here."
Person 2: "It's pure performality. She's waiting for the clip to go viral."
by nicklenova February 2, 2026
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The Performality Paradox

The sociological law that states the harder a person tries to appear "authentic" on social media, the more performative their behavior actually becomes. It refers to the irony that looking "effortlessly messy" (e.g., photo dumps, crying selfies, no-makeup posts) often requires more staging, curation, and editing than a polished photo.
Her "I just woke up" selfie took 45 minutes to get the lighting right. That is the Performality Paradox in action.
by nicklenova February 3, 2026
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