Performative Allyship vs. Real Solidarity: How to Spot the Difference

Allyship is a word we’ve heard a lot over the last few years. From brands posting black squares on Instagram, to influencers loudly denouncing injustice before quietly carrying on as usual - it seems like everyone wants to be seen doing the right thing. But when the cameras are off, the hashtags are retired, and the PR campaigns are wrapped up, what’s actually left behind?

That’s where the difference lies between performative allyship and real solidarity. One is about image. The other is about action. And if we’re serious about building a more just, inclusive world, we need to get better at recognising which is which.

What Is Performative Allyship?

Performative allyship is all about optics. It’s when individuals or organisations make public gestures of support for marginalised communities - often loudly, temporarily, and with great fanfare - without making any meaningful change behind the scenes.

Think:

• A fashion brand launching a Pride collection, while failing to hire or support LGBTQ+ staff.

• A politician quoting Maya Angelou in a speech, while voting against racial justice measures.

• A workplace celebrating International Women’s Day with cupcakes, but still paying women less and promoting fewer of them.

Performative allyship is a way to appear progressive without doing the deep, uncomfortable, and often costly work of actually being progressive.

What Does Real Solidarity Look Like?

Real solidarity is less showy. It doesn’t always get headlines or viral social posts. But it shows up - in boardrooms, in policy, in private conversations, in financial decisions, and in long-term commitments.

Real solidarity involves:

• Listening without centring yourself

• Calling out injustice, even when it’s inconvenient

• Taking cues from the communities you claim to support

• Using your privilege to create space - not take it

• Being in it for the long haul, not just for the hype
  
  
  

It’s the brand quietly investing in Black-owned suppliers, the manager advocating for accessible work policies, the friend who speaks up in the group chat, the ally who pays for the emotional labour they’re asking for.

Why Performative Allyship Is Harmful

At first glance, performative allyship might not seem like a bad thing. Isn’t some awareness better than none? Isn’t visibility still progress?

Yes and no. The problem with performative allyship is that it:

• Creates the illusion of change without actual change

• Takes up space that could be given to real voices

• Profits off the pain of marginalised groups

• Often co-opts movements for personal or commercial gain

It pacifies people into thinking that “something is being done” when the truth is, the systems of harm are still fully intact.

How to Spot the Difference

Not all support is created equal. If you want to figure out whether someone - or a brand, organisation, or public figure - is practising real solidarity or just putting on a good show, start by asking the following questions:

1. Who benefits from this action?

Is the action genuinely serving the marginalised community it claims to support - or is it designed to make the ally look good?

If the answer is “it boosts their public image, engagement, or profits,” that’s a red flag. True solidarity centres the people most affected, not the ego or reputation of the person trying to help.

2. Is there meaningful follow-through?

Did it go beyond a statement or social media post? Look for tangible action:

• Are they funding community initiatives or mutual aid groups?

• Are they advocating for systemic change in their workplace or industry?

• Are they actually hiring, promoting, and paying marginalised people fairly?

Empty gestures without policy shifts or redistribution of power are just that - empty.

3. Is their support consistent and sustained?

Real solidarity isn’t seasonal. It doesn’t disappear the moment a trending hashtag stops trending.

• Are they still talking about Black lives in February and March - not just during Black History Month?

• Do they keep LGBTQ+ protections front and centre outside of Pride?

• Are they committed to long-term change, even when it’s not fashionable - or profitable?

4. Are marginalised voices being centred - or co-opted?

It’s easy to repost a quote or platform a voice. But ask:

• Are they giving credit where it’s due?

• Are they paying the people whose labour they’re using?

• Are they letting marginalised people lead, or are they just rephrasing others' work as their own?

Real solidarity is about stepping aside, not stepping into the spotlight.

5. Are they willing to be uncomfortable?

Solidarity requires humility. It often means acknowledging your own complicity, unlearning harmful behaviours, or having tough conversations with friends, family, colleagues, and yourself.

Performative allies flinch at discomfort. Real ones lean in, listen, and course-correct.

6. Are they accountable when they get it wrong?

No one gets it right all the time. But how someone responds to being called out is telling.

• Do they apologise sincerely and take steps to make it right?

• Do they engage in defensiveness and deflection? 

Real allies take responsibility. Performative ones try to save face.

7. Are they redistributing power and resources?

Solidarity isn’t just about supporting marginalised people - it’s about reshaping the structures that harm them. That might look like:

• Divesting from oppressive institutions

• Investing in community-led organisations

• Amplifying lesser-heard voices, not just amplifying themselves

• Refusing jobs, panels, or speaking opportunities when they know someone more marginalised should have been offered it

8. Are they doing the work when no one’s watching?

True allyship happens in quiet moments. Behind closed doors. In everyday choices.

• Are they educating themselves beyond what’s trending?

• Are they challenging racism, ableism, transphobia, and sexism in their own circles - especially when there’s no reward?

9. Do they platform or profit from pain?

It’s one thing to raise awareness - it’s another to commodify trauma.

• Is someone selling T-shirts with protest slogans while doing nothing to support the cause?

• Is a brand using a tragic event to market itself?

• Is a creator mining marginalised stories for likes without offering anything in return?

True solidarity is rooted in care, not capitalising on someone else’s oppression.

10. Are they listening - or just talking?

If someone’s shouting over the very people they claim to support, something’s off.

• Do they ask how they can help before offering solutions?

• Do they take feedback gracefully - or make it about themselves?

Good allies don’t need to be loud. They just need to be effective.

By asking these questions - and encouraging others to do the same - we can start cutting through the noise and focus our energy on supporting those who are actually doing the work. Because in the fight for justice, solidarity isn’t a trend. It’s a lifelong practice.

A Note for Fellow Allies

If you’re someone who wants to be a better ally - great. That’s where it starts. But it can’t end with the desire to “be a good person.” Allyship isn’t an identity you get to claim - it’s a practice. One you’ll get wrong sometimes. One you’re never done learning. One that’s ultimately not about you.

Ask yourself:

• Am I willing to be called out?

• Am I willing to put my time, money, and energy behind my values?

• Am I willing to shut up and listen - truly listen - when people tell me what they need?

Because at the end of the day, allyship that doesn’t cost you anything probably isn’t worth all that much.

So… What Now?

Don’t be discouraged. We all start somewhere. The important thing is to move beyond symbols and slogans and ask: What am I actually doing to challenge injustice and uplift others - especially when no one’s watching?

The world doesn’t need more people saying the right things. It needs more people doing the hard things.

Join the Conversation

We want to hear from you. Have you witnessed (or called out) performative allyship? What does real solidarity look like in your life? Share your stories with us @the_cwordmag or info@thecwordmag.co.uk

Because solidarity isn’t a moment. It’s a movement.

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Hana Ames is a professional content writer with hundreds of pieces of content under her belt. She is a cat and dog mama, a feminist, and a musical theatre fan, who enjoys cooking, playing board games and drinking cocktails. She has been writing professionally since 2018 and has a degree in English. Her website is www.hrawriting.com and she is always interested in discussing exciting new projects to see how she can help your business grow. Catch her on Twitter @hrawriting, Instagram @hrawriting and Facebook: www.facebook.com/hrawriting