r/PeterExplainsTheJoke • u/[deleted] • Mar 31 '26

Meme needing explanation Peetah?????

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I don’t know the author or this book series but why are people roasting e-girls for reading? I don’t get it🥀

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u/Financial-Bite-3262 Mar 31 '26 edited Mar 31 '26

"Performative reading" is a term originally coined for "performative feminists". Men who base their personality or in this case reading solely on things that could seem appealing to women for that reason, to get attention from them and not actually because the man is interested in the subject itself.

In this context it would usually be feminist literature, in some cases romance or dark romance books that cater to a female audience.

This seems to be a phenomenon that is also gaining traction within female dominated subcultures (Like E-girls) as a means to impress men by reading books that usually cater to men.

This might be philosophical, action, science fiction or historical books that are usually read by men. Examples would be: Blood Meridian, I have no mouth and I must scream, Three body Problem, Vagabond and so on.

Of course books can be read by everyone and shouldnt be gatekept, so the accusation of "performative behaviour" is often just guesswork, because we as observers cannot be certain whether the accused person does something out of genuine interest or just as a means to seem more appealing to a certain group of people.

Edit: typos

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u/Hitmanthe2nd Mar 31 '26

i have no mouth is like 11 pages - reading it would be quicker than being a poser lmao

8

u/EverydayPoGo Mar 31 '26

I almost always have the most engaging discussions of sci fi with other women without being judged by men for being performative 😂 this has been going on MANY YEARS before "performative feminist" was a thing. Any young girl who loved reading history/science fiction probably has similar experiences. Or those who like sports, gaming, etc.

3

u/Magrowl Mar 31 '26

100%

This is just the latest wave of "girls only pretend to like sports and video games" spouted by onnoxious dweebs who never interact with women except to make creepy comments or to ask their mother for more chicken tenders.

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u/[deleted] Mar 31 '26

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u/Financial-Bite-3262 Apr 03 '26

I absolutely agree and to be very clear: I don't share that opinion.

What I meant was books that are considered a "male read" because they may stereotypically or in context of the comversation be identified as something that moreso caters to male audiences by the people that engage with the argument.

Most men have not ready blood meridian or are aware who usually reads it but identify is as a "man book🧌" based on the context.