In 2005 female impersonator Flotilla DeBarge, the "Empress of Large" posed for PETA's "Fur Is a Drag" ad spoofing Star Jones' penchant for wearing pelts. Since then it has stirred up quite a lot of controversy and discussion among the trans community.
Last week I read a blog post titled Using Transphobia to Fight Animal Abuse from the Trans Group Blog where the author interprets this ad campaign as perpetuating transphobia:
I think they are big bois and gurls and can do what they like. Here, they are voluntarily using their ability to create controversy and draw attention to important issues. I don't think that extravagant and comical cross dressing necessarily defines the whole of trans identity and expression. It's satire. Parody. Humor. Fun.
A little back story. Animal rights and LGBT activist Dan Mathews and his long time friend Lady Bunny (the founder and emcee of the annual Wigstock event where 40,000 New Yorkers flocked every Labor Day for nearly 20 years to watch big performances, big celebrities and big hair - she's a transsetting babe) came up with this ad spoof campaign.
And like all of PETA's campaigns, it certainly does the job of getting people talking. This time, not just about veganism, but also about transphobia.
It's good to get the discussions rolling! And rolling with the homies it is.
Speaking of PETA, my cute friend sent me a link with the following disclaimer, "I don’t know who this is because I don’t watch the show... I also can’t get to the site because it’s blocked. BUT I figured if it was a naked girl from the show, you would appreciate it. If it’s a dude, I am sorry!"
Poor dudes. And to think, I'm compelled to go through all of this just to get closer to something I find completely and utterly unattractive - hairier, stinkier, greasier. Oh physiological state of mine, why oh why?
Anyway, being a big Battlestar Galactica (BSG) fan and a sucker for the babes on that show, I instantly had images flash through my mind of all the babe possibilities that get even more babelicious once they show their uber compassionate side. So I click, all giddy and excited, and this is what I'm greeted with:
Damnit!
Actually, he does look a lot more attractive posing for a faux fur ad. Hmm. Wait, no, I take that back. Or maybe not. No, he does.
It's actually a cute ad. I like it. And at least his obnoxious character in BSG will be much more tolerable from now on for me knowing he's played by a partially hairy guy who happens to be a brave and compassionate human being. That's a plus.
Jaime Bamber is PETA Shirtless
Last week I read a blog post titled Using Transphobia to Fight Animal Abuse from the Trans Group Blog where the author interprets this ad campaign as perpetuating transphobia:
"In this context, fur is a "drag"--meaning it is bad, and a bloodied cross-dresser is somehow supposed to be quirky or funny. This is all in advertisement for a fashion show where cross-dressers will cat walk fur coats with fake blood and animal traps. The cat walk is just a cruel play on the walk of shame, cloaked by humor and couture no less. Look, it's a tranny with a bloody jacket! Everyone laugh."I couldn't help but think, "Yes, and what? These are cross dressers having fun and being ridiculous. Is this something new?"
I think they are big bois and gurls and can do what they like. Here, they are voluntarily using their ability to create controversy and draw attention to important issues. I don't think that extravagant and comical cross dressing necessarily defines the whole of trans identity and expression. It's satire. Parody. Humor. Fun.
A little back story. Animal rights and LGBT activist Dan Mathews and his long time friend Lady Bunny (the founder and emcee of the annual Wigstock event where 40,000 New Yorkers flocked every Labor Day for nearly 20 years to watch big performances, big celebrities and big hair - she's a transsetting babe) came up with this ad spoof campaign.
And like all of PETA's campaigns, it certainly does the job of getting people talking. This time, not just about veganism, but also about transphobia.
It's good to get the discussions rolling! And rolling with the homies it is.
Speaking of PETA, my cute friend sent me a link with the following disclaimer, "I don’t know who this is because I don’t watch the show... I also can’t get to the site because it’s blocked. BUT I figured if it was a naked girl from the show, you would appreciate it. If it’s a dude, I am sorry!"
Poor dudes. And to think, I'm compelled to go through all of this just to get closer to something I find completely and utterly unattractive - hairier, stinkier, greasier. Oh physiological state of mine, why oh why?
Anyway, being a big Battlestar Galactica (BSG) fan and a sucker for the babes on that show, I instantly had images flash through my mind of all the babe possibilities that get even more babelicious once they show their uber compassionate side. So I click, all giddy and excited, and this is what I'm greeted with:
Damnit!
Actually, he does look a lot more attractive posing for a faux fur ad. Hmm. Wait, no, I take that back. Or maybe not. No, he does.
It's actually a cute ad. I like it. And at least his obnoxious character in BSG will be much more tolerable from now on for me knowing he's played by a partially hairy guy who happens to be a brave and compassionate human being. That's a plus.
Jaime Bamber is PETA Shirtless
I'd like to recommend the book Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity by Julia Serano. Both FTM and MTF spectrum people I know have found it liberating.
ReplyDeleteThe book covers a lot of ground, but one thing Serano talks about is trans-misogyny: "Sexism that specifically targets those on the trans female/trans feminine spectrums.... It accounts for why MTF spectrum trans people tend to be more regularly demonized and ridiculed than their FTM spectrum counterparts, and why trans women face certain forms of sexualization and misogyny that are rarely (if ever) applied to non-trans women."
Soon you will be able to blend into society completely as a white man who is perceived to be cisgender (non-transgender), and you can leave much of this transphobia business behind. That experience is vastly different from those trans women who are going to be read as trans for the rest of their lives or who live in fear of such recognition. FTM people are also not regularly made fun of or reduced to their clothes, make-up, and genitals the way MTF people are in popular culture.
Trans-misogyny is something that everyone in our culture is imbued with. MTF spectrum people have to rid themselves of it in order to be comfortable with who they are. FTM spectrum people also have to make a conscious effort to rid themselves of it so that we stop participating in the oppression of our trans siblings.
More on the post specifically. The fact that someone is queer does not automatically make them a trans ally. Some LGB people are fiercely transphobic because we are the freaks whom they (misguidedly) think are holding them back from acceptance. Drag performers also are not automatically allies to transsexual people. It's not good enough to just say "gay people did this" and not think critically about it.
"I think they are big bois and gurls and can do what they like." Please recognize that only drag queens are being used in PETA's campaign. The point is to ridicule fur--how could one ridicule fur when it's being sported by a (white) man (that is, a drag king)? The whole campaign rests on trans women and MTF crossdressers being perceived as ugly and ridiculous (hence, a drag). They are playing off of negative stereotypes in society rather than challenging them.
As PETA states, "Norfolk’s annual Doo Dah Parade invites local organizations and business owners to march the streets in ludicrous outfits so that the citizens of this fine city can laugh at them. ... Tragically, I didn’t make it this year, but a lot of my colleagues did — all dolled up in dresses and wigs to show that 'Fur Is a Drag' — so let’s take this opportunity to laugh at them now:"
They sat around and thought, "what would be funny?" Men dressed up like women. Why aren't there drag kings? Because that wouldn't be funny. [Even if they add drag kings later, it's only going to be in response to the criticism they've received and is quite beside the point.] They are making fun of trans femininity. Period.
It's not funny because real people are assigned male at birth but do not identify that way and desire to live as women or have a more feminine body/appearance. The only reason we do not see MTF spectrum people as beautiful (or even socially acceptable!) is because of negative crap like this. If there were a campaign making fun of short men with big hips, high voices, and no dicks (note the man in the photo grabbing his), perhaps you'd feel differently.
But rest assured, there never will be because it's perfectly natural for female-assigned people to want to be men, but we sure as heck can't allow male-assigned people to lower themselves and become women.
vegan_ftm: Uh oh! I knew that mentioning a PETA campaign would stir up a conflicting response or two. Which, I'd argue, is one of the many positive byproducts of this campaign ad and similar ads - the fueling of discussion about incredibly important, real issues and visibility of those issues. ;]
ReplyDeleteAlso, thank you for the book suggestion and for posting a thoughtful response. I'll definitely take a look at it, especially since I'm a HUGE fan of femininity and get tired of how sexist some self-proclaimed feminists get towards it; generally only appreciating more masculine forms of expression and considering hyper-feminine expression as "weak" or "demeaning", especially sexually.
Although, I was a little put off when you commented "soon you will be able to blend into society completely as a white man who is perceived to be cisgender", and I can "leave much of this transphobia behind".
I don't at all intend to "blend in as a white man". This comment was clearly an attempt to invalidate my perceptions and credibility because I will presumably no longer be a member of any minority and will instead be a member of the canonical "oppressor of all minorities" class.
That's unfair of you.
Please don't attempt to strip me of my trans/gender variant identity and experiences like that. I'm proud of being trans and it took me a long time to get here and come out, especially living in Utah.
Now, I'll try to respond to some of your points and comment as best I can!
First, I'm not sure what anyone being trans friendly or not has to do with this. The people doing these campaigns are primarily flamboyant drag queens and seem to enjoy themselves being such whether they are doing PETA campaigns or not. It looks to me like everyone is having a pretty good time!
Second, drag is a form of art and entertainment. It's supposed to be filled with crazy costumes and shows off the performer's extravagant personality and shocks our culture's inferences about gender expression. It's very attention-getting.
And most importantly, this ad campaign is very obviously not literal - it's satire, parody, and humor. Free speech. Fun. A joke that rests on a double-entendre surrounding the word "drag" that's targeted towards fur wearers.
Keep in mind that activists and artists have always used many techniques to dramatize their concerns - parody, satire, exaggeration, symbolism, metaphor, dream, and fantasy. In the long run, free and open DISCUSSION of the issues raised by campaigns like this and controversial "offensive" art and other forms of expression has the best chance of achieving progressive goals and equality for minorities.
Dismissing these activists as "transphobic" simply because they have a different interpretation of humor and advocacy than you do does nothing to promote trans equality. Yes, there are LGB people who are transphobic, that's true. But Lady Bunny, Flotilla DeBarge, and Dan Matthews aren't automatically "transphobic" because they utilize activist strategies that you're offended by and misinterpret.
The reality is that human beings are various and idiosyncratic; we each respond to things like this in different ways - as obviously illustrated here. The value of free speech, especially frequently attacked and misunderstood satire (my personal favorite!), is that it permits a wide range of ideas to flourish so that individuals can grow, learn and decide for themselves what ideas to accept or reject.
"If there were a campaign making fun of short men with big hips, high voices, and no dicks (note the man in the photo grabbing his), perhaps you'd feel differently."
I wouldn't feel differently, actually. It may be hard for you to believe, but I would think it was hilarious satire and I'd probably participate in an effort to draw attention to the cruelty of wearing fur. Any movement to remedy oppressive attitudes depends on freedom of speech, not PC self-censorship and fear of having a sense of humor and having fun. Without the liberty to protest, parody, and mock, we won't ever be able to make any progress toward equality or breaking down sexist/gender stereotypes in our culture.
"FTM people are also not regularly made fun of or reduced to their clothes, make-up, and genitals the way MTF people are in popular culture."
Culturally they are, actually. In terms of one's ability to "pass" due to a fiercely gender binary culture. In terms of how 'masculine' one is. It would have been more fierce 50 or so years ago when cisgender women hadn't even gained the social acceptance to wear pants.
However, it is entirely true that MTF individuals who express themselves in a more feminine manner and don't "pass" have a much more difficult time, similar to how cisgender male homosexuals who are flamboyant have a harder time and are at a much higher risk for violence, in general, than cisgender female homosexuals. There are many theories about why that is and what it stems from.
Popular culture, on the other hand, is another arena altogether. Sexually an FTM may be "reduced" in a way that's similar to a cisgender male, like Jamie Bamber in the "Bare Skin Not Bearskin" ad. But, it's only when that individual is a cisgender female or MTF - more feminine - that it's assumed to be negative, demeaning, or "reduced"; which I'd argue only serves to infantilize and oppress that individual.
What's inherently negative about feminine clothing, make-up, and genitals, anyway? I'm a fan!
Vegan_ftm:
ReplyDeleteDifferent=/=Bad
Firstly, he statement "trans women face certain forms of sexualization and misogyny that are rarely (if ever) applied to non-trans women" strikes me as a very silly one, in regards to sexualization.
To put blunty, I could never felate a non-trans woman, because they lack a penis. I could, however, felate a transexual woman. Doing so requires me to view the transexual woman in a different light than I would a non-trans woman. In the same capacity, I could never be penetrated by a non-trans woman (I could technically, but pegging isn't the same), but I could be by a transexual woman. Sex, and sexual interaction with a transexual woman are inherently and fundamentally different then sex with a non-trans woman (obviously my example doesn't hold true with post-op transexuals).
However, to me, viewing them differently isn't a bad thing; they are different. But different isn't bad. Chocolate ice crean is different from vanilla ice cream; it doesn't make one inferior to the other.
Secondly, from how you worded certain parts (of what is ultimately a well written and expressed opinion), it seems like you feel that race and gender make you members of a club or fraternity/sorority. I don't think this is the case. I hold no special kinship with hetero white males. I view them the same (sometimes worse) as anyone else I know (afterall, hetero white males have claimed the most lives of any racial/gender sub-type in human history, alogn with the highest predisposition to be a serial killer).
Ultimately, I guess I view the issue through rose tinted glasses. Being a cisgender white male, there are hardships I will never have to face, hurdles I never have to vault, and prejudice I never have to adress.