Tea Society had their first performative contest in Room 1609 on Sept. 13. Over 15 students competed in the competition, while 60 audience members were handed matcha by officers.

Juniors and judges Zara Bukhari, Julie Martinez-Orduna and Hannah Gendler-Cruz evaluated competitors based on their outfit, responses and personality on a scale from 1 to 10.

First-place winner and freshman Nico McWhorter entered because he said he thought he was “just the right” amount of performative and not too over-the-top. McWhorter said the other competitors were more like the Internet joke than actually performative.

“I saw a poster and I was laughing about it with my friends,” McWhorter said. “Then I took the poster and I was like, ‘Wait, I should actually do it.’”

McWhorter went thrifting beforehand to imitate the internet stereotype of a performative male, including tote bags and a buttoned shirt, although he said he wished he had used a different tote bag. He said he was surprised when he won because he thought his outfit wasn’t good compared to the other competitors.

“At the end of the day, it's a contest centered around pop culture and a meme, so the fact that it was serious was ironic,” McWhorter said. “Everyone was doing the exact same joke over and over. So I was like, really overdramatic. And then on top of it, I also kept spinning aspects of the joke.”

Provided by Iris Yeh

Contestants Kayla Zhou, Quinn Cavanaugh, Brody Carrizal and Nico McWhorter prepare to answer questions. The group were the last six in the final round of competition.

Spectator and senior Kamilla Ledergerber heard about the contest from a friend and originally decided to come for the matcha.

“I actually really liked [the event],” Ledergerber said. “I thought it was funny how everyone dressed up, and they were really extreme with their outfits. I didn't really think anyone was [going to] go that hard.”

Provided by Iris Yeh

Junior Ethan Gonzales engages with the audience during his turn. Contestants often debated with each other in order to receive a better ranking from the judges.

Ledergerber said she did not recognize many people who showed up, which made a diverse audience. She said the diversity helped make the event a unifying experience.

“I think [the event] was a really smart way for them to get a lot of people,” Ledergerber said. “I found out about the club not even from their Instagram, just from word of mouth. That's definitely how they got a lot of people.”

Gendler-Cruz said she was hoping to see people’s personalities in their presentations.

“[I was] surprised that someone would play the guitar and sing an actual song to me, and that someone would get on their knees and scream about matcha and performative men,” Gendler-Cruz said. “I just can't believe people were so motivated to get a Labubu and a tote bag.”

Provided by Iris Yeh

Judges Zara Bukhari, Julie Martinez-Orduna and Hannah Gendler-Cruz take notes and discuss their decisions. Gendler-Cruz said contestants would have their score docked for not following the internet stereotype of a performative male.

Gendler-Cruz said that advertisements for the contest on social media and on campus gained a lot of traction in the student body. Tea Society began planning the event two months in advance.

“Overall, the event was very fun,” Gendler-Cruz said. “The turnout was amazing, and I loved everyone that came.”

To learn more about Tea Society, you can follow them on their Instagram @bhs.teasociety or join their Remind @bhs-tea.