COMMON
TRANSGENDERED Treasured or tormented? THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY THE FASHION INDUSTRY VS. SOCIETY From an early age, we are expected to define and identify ourselves in a way that is deemed socially acceptable. Subliminal seeds are planted into our minds informing us whether we should play with Barbie or Action Man, grow our hair long or short or choose gymnastics over football depending on the gender we were born with. Karmen Chohan, a transgender woman from Leeds describes herself as feeling awkwardly uncomfortable being male, at six years old. She grew up, with interests such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Desperate Housewives only to be teased, since as a male
it seemed preposterous to enjoy feminine entertainment. She masked her identity and kept a mental form of a “manly dictionary” including a list of do’s and don’ts of what is stereotypically accepted to avoid bullying. Popular to contrary belief, our brains are not hard wired when it comes to defining ourselves. It’s ironic that we can spend hours masking our body, face and personality in order to feel ourselves. In today’s society, we are made to feel odd if we ignore gender stereotypes when choosing what we want to wear on a morning. In the fashion industry, unconventional
We act as if there is a higher consciousness telling us how we should portray ourselves
behaviour is applauded, but does this apply to changing your gender? Former androgynous male model, Andreja Pejic, described herself as “living in between genders� and her versatility is desirable. After transforming into a trans woman and vowing to only model as female, she proclaims to be finally comfortable with herself. However, her fear cannot be hidden with how successful she is after losing her defining androgynous title, inspiring her to create a documentary regarding her upbringing and transformation. According to statistics, transgender unemployment is double the rate of the population as a whole and when asking Karmen who her transgender role models were, she stumbled. Not because she failed to look into transgender icons in the fashion industry, but she feels the industry lacks them in comparison to the straight population. Despite the negativity the trans community has to deal with, it could be argued that the fashion industry is one of the first to take positive action for the LGBT movement in employment. The campaign Brothers, Sisters, Sons and Daughters for Barney’s counteracts a large amount of the problems that the trans community face. It includes seventeen iconic transgender men and women with radical stories to share. A campaign that could possibly outline the future, donating 10% of all sales made to the LGBT movement. It embarks on something spectacular, giving a voice to transgenders who struggle for acceptance. The fashion industry positively rrecognises transgenders to an extent, leaving society to be the problem, not giving us enough freedom to express ourselves and the question on
Our brains are not hard wired when it comes to defining ourselves
transgender unemployment is double the rate of the population as a whole the tip of my tongue is why? It’s because we act as if there is a higher consciousness telling us how we should portray ourselves. We act as if every choice is black and white, right or wrong and we forget that we are entitled to make our own decisions. Laverne Cox, the only transgender role model to be featured on the cover of TIME magazine and to be nominated for an Emmy award, said “people need to be willing to let go of what they think they know about what it means to be a man and what it means to be a woman.” People often feel that they can judge and the transgender community is brave in terms of ignoring preconceptions and putting their happiness first. I believe that the fashion industry is finally beginning to recognise this, but how further can they go?
GEN STEREO
DER OTYPING
CONTRADICTIONS Character AND DEFYING CONFORMITY
I LIKE TO PLAY GRAND THEFT AUTO AS SOON AS I WAKE UP
I KNOW EVERY SINGLE WORD TO HALO BY BEYONCE
I TAKE PRIDE IN MY APPEARANCE
MY BEDROOM IS MY OFFICE, but don't call me a hippy
i like to COOK, i like to CLEAN, i also like to iron