"I Was Hoping To See More Flexing": WWC's Performative Masc Competition
Clara Shirley | Nov. 18, 2025
On Tuesday, Nov. 18, Warren Wilson College (WWC) students had the opportunity to compete in the school’s first-ever “performative masc” competition, a recent college trend well documented online. During lunch, Cowpie Lawn saw an influx of carabiners, tote bags and denim as masculine-presenting students displayed themselves to their peers.
Sign advertising Warren Wilson College’s (WWC) performative masc contest on Nov. 18, 2025 in Swannanoa, N.C. (Echo/Emma Taylor McCallum)
Organized by Sal Ward, a senior on Forestry Crew, and Alex Valenzuela, a senior on Farm Crew, the performative masc competition allowed students to play characters, expressing their over-the-top masculine energy in hopes of winning the approval of those on their lunch break.
Organizers Alex Valenzuela, left, and Sal Ward, center, stand with performative masc competition winner Ursula Curlin on Cowpie Lawn in Swannanoa, N.C. on November 18, 2025 (Echo/Emma Taylor McCallum)
“There's a performative male competition that [performative masc competitions] spawned off of, which is this idea of this man who's dressing up and trying to get women and creating hobbies and elements of his style in order to be perceived a certain way,” Ward said. “And I think that the performative masc competition is sort of playing fun at it.”
The deviation from performative “male” to the broader “masculine” or “masc” terminology is intentional, as Ward and Valenzuela expressed.
“I think there's also not a lot of masc lesbian or trans masc representation outside of spaces like Wilson, and so colleges have been doing this as a way to have fun and be inclusive and just poke fun at ourselves,” Ward said.
The shift from a strictly male to a gender inclusive competition allows competitors to be more creative in how they express themselves. While outfits still fell into the traditional categories of “masculine”, with students donning camo print, work boots and cargo pants, the organizers hoped to see more diversity in other areas.
“I'm hoping that people get really creative with this, because we're seeing a lot of the same shticks for the performative ‘male competitions,’ and I want people to get funky with it, and I think this will be a fun space for that,” Valenzuela said. “I'm also hoping to get some fit ideas.”
The spectators on Cowpie Lawn were enthusiastic while cheering on their peers as each “masc” introduced themselves. Because the winners were chosen by a vote from the audience, it was important the competitors presented themselves as relatable and charismatic to their fellow students.
“I think this speaks to my culture as a gay person,” Elio Whitesides, a junior on Wellness Crew, said. “This really makes me feel like Warren Wilson is a community. I feel really included and represented right now.”
The performance of gender in general caught the eye of several spectators, who expressed the deeper connotations of the competitors with societal standards of gender.
“People are doing some very good performances,” Kashius Ford, a senior on Garden Crew, said. “It's not just about the clothing and even just the props I see, there's some embodiment of this masc-ing going on.”
“Everyone is just bringing everything they have, the characters, the props, the outfits, it's just quite the spectacle,” Lydia Blake, a senior on Garden Crew, said.
“I think it's a really interesting, grotesque play on [gender expression], and I'm really enjoying it,” Ellie Teweles, a senior on Farm Pig Crew, said. “Everybody seems to be enjoying it. There's a lot of hoop and hollering, and it's a very successful event.”
At the end of the competition, three winners were announced. Rena Curtis, a freshman on the Queer Resource Center (QRC) Crew, won third place, Mazzaroth Carroll, a junior on the Bio/ENS Crew, won second place and Ursula Curlin, a senior on the Farm Ruminant Crew, won first place, making her the most performative masc at WWC.
Rena Curtis, left, and Mazzaroth Carroll, right, pose with their awards at the Warren Wilson College (WWC) performative masc contest on November 18, 2025. (Echo/Emma Taylor McCallum)
“I'm glad I didn't win [first place], because I don't know what that would say about my masculinity,” Curtis said. “You know, I'm very honored to be representing the trans masc pipeline.”
“I think [second place] is the exact right place for me to be in, because Ursula uses [she/her pronouns], honestly,” Carroll said. “I think all women are beautiful and successful, and I think that the pieces fell right into place, as Mary Oliver would say.”
“I feel awesome,” Curlin said. “I mean, this was really all about ‘the woman’ all along, and I'm glad that they chose me.”
Being a performative masc is about more than physical expression. It is about community, uniqueness, loving women and listening to the right music.
“I don't know who put the Beastie Boys [1986 album ‘License to Ill’] in my fucking bag,” Curlin said. “I'm gonna be actually hiring a private investigator on this matter.”
The contestants of WWC’s first-ever performative masc competition had these words of wisdom: tell your mom you love her every day, read your bell hooks upside down, do not ever be yourself and at the end of the day, being a performative masc is about caring for women.
