We all know that one guy. The self-proclaimed “ally” who loves to remind you that he supports women, but scratch beneath the surface, and you’ll find his feminism is anything but real. He’s mastered the performance, but the substance? Not so much. Here are some classic traits of a fake male feminist.

1. The tote bag and book prop

He always has a book by a female author casually sticking out of his tote bag — Sally Rooney or bell hooks if he really wants to impress. And the tote bag with some sher or a Vincent Van Gogh painting. But here’s the catch: the book never leaves chapter two and he knows no other painter other than Van Gogh. They are basically fashion accessories at this point, like those wired earphones he calls retro.

2. The Taylor Swift defence

He insists he’s a Swiftie — “Of course I love Taylor, she’s such a feminist icon”, but if you press him to name a song, he’ll stop at Love Story. Maybe You Belong With Me if he’s feeling brave. Ask about Folklore or The Tortured Poets Department, and suddenly, he has bad Wi-Fi.

3. Mr Old-school

Ah, the timeless classic. He tells you he’s old school when it comes to dating, which usually translates to, “I want all the benefits of traditional gender roles without actually respecting women’s autonomy.” Expect him to pay for dinner only if you promise to cook for him next time.

4. Instagram activist energy

Come Women’s Day, his Instagram story is flooded with pastel pink graphics about “empowerment.” The rest of the year? Pin-drop silence. Unless, of course, there’s a photo-op at a protest, then suddenly he’s Che Guevara.

5. Compliment machine

He calls every woman “queen” or “goddess.” It sounds flattering until you realise he says it to every girl in the group chat. Ask him to name a feminist thinker he admires and you’ll get, “Uh… Malala?”

6. Spotify playlist trickery

He’s got a playlist called ‘Women Who Inspire Me’ with exactly two songs: Run the World (Girls) by Beyoncé and Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys. Ground-breaking.

7. The mansplainer-in-ally clothing

The most telling trait of all. He will loudly tell you how much he respects women, then immediately cut you off to explain your own point back to you. Usually prefaced with, “What I think you’re trying to say is…”

8. The “kurta kinda guy”

His Instagram will definitely have that one photo in a kurta with his face down. And the caption? Some Hindi/Urdu poetry, sometimes by Ghalib and sometimes just a random Pinterest quote. But always trying to appear deep and sophisticated when, in reality, he calls his girlfriend “bandi”.

8. “Oh, I love when you dress up”

He’ll gush about how you always “pay attention to your clothes, idk why other guys don’t care!” Sounds sweet, but it’s less about complimenting you and more about positioning himself as different. Basically, he’s using your outfit as a prop for his fake allyship.

So ladies, if he’s showing even one of these traits of a fake male feminist, run as fast as you can.

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Related: The Ally Paradox: How “Good” Men Use Feminism As A Disguise