Transgender Representation in Trans Media: Why Optics Isn't Important But Holding Them to Their Own Standards Is.
So a common debate that happens in trans spaces is “Do they need to show more passing transgender individuals in media more often.” Answers usually stem between no because its transphobic to impose beauty standards in a way that implies you’re only a real woman if you conform. Or Yes, because it’s important for optics that more people are exposed to the idea that trans women can be normal.
Not to be a contrarian, but they’re both wrong in their own right, but not just because the answer or reasoning is stupid, but because the perspective in which people decide what we need to uphold is completely wrong. Optics is a stupid subject because people who hate us will justify it no matter what, and by sheer numbers, people on the fence will rarely be moved to our side because there's more people whispering in their ear to be against us. I think the context in which the answer needs to be in is in the context of holding these people to their own standards. People are right in the idea that women should be able to express themselves however they deem comfortable, and that’s the idea we should live to achieve, but also, currently, that doesn’t exist. It doesn’t exist because of the standards set upon people, even “normal” people have to strive to obtain gender affirming surgeries and alter how they look so that they can even be appreciated for who they are in their field of business, even if it isn't even related. Entire jobs like real estate and selling medicine have it as a near requirement to be beautiful, in the standards of current society, which also puts trans women in a higher bar when its perceived that they look like Adam Sandler in a wig.
By no means does that mean we have to conform, not at all, which is a huge important difference between “Optics” and “Holding People To Their Own Standards” because Optics is conforming to what we think people who hate us want. What I want people to do is to actually force them to their own standards, double down on what they want until it gets to a point where they realize it's not what they want and not just maliciously building the truth around what they want. The issue is, they know that. Why do you think most trans women in media are played by men? If trans women are such caricatures on their own, why not just, cast a trans woman? If we are ugly as people want us to be perceived by all means, there is probably a non passing trans woman out there who is willing to play the part of the clown for money to pass, why haven't you just cast them?
Because if held to their own standards, they would be forced to hold a casting call, and since the standards for an actress is already so high, looking for “Transfemme Actresses” would bring a standard unknowingly higher than whatever was pre-existing for cis actresses. A standard set, transitively by the other standards from the same people in charge of casting said cishet actresses. And at what point do you stop looking of an outlier and just create your own standard.
This isn’t an issue that’s completely made up by trans women either. People want the best actors for the best parts, and sometimes, if you want a gay character, just cast a gay man. If you want a stereotype of a gay man, you get a straight man, and there's a bit of imposter syndrome when dealing with situations like this amongst show-runners and directors. The most respectful Transgender characterizations in modern media, all have directors who have said nearly ver batum, if it was physically possible to cast a trans woman, they would. Yes, even Kurt Sutter, the creator of Sons of Anarchy. But until then, they get someone who can play the part respectfully, even if it means their wardrobe might be a bit stereotypical, because that's what people expect.
This is not mere speculation, this is not “This would be the case IF…”
It Is
The worst thing that can be done when people do not believe people are people is be held to standards they set themselves up to, because they will force these non-people to go above and beyond to be accepted, only to be confronted when they actually do, and now they have nothing else to do but actively refuse positions where these “non-people” can prove everybody wrong.
And that still sucks
I have no ill will on Hunter Schafer because I don't know enough about her to dislike her or like her. And I do think she is beautiful, when I speak what I say, I speak about it in a very internally objective and generalized way, not in a way which I'm stating what I think personally.
That being said, this is first major Trans Gender Actress that hit the mainstream, and that, is awesome. But we confirmed to their standards before they conformed to their own, and there's bitter-sweetness in the idea that the first mainstream transgender actress is a beautiful, charismatic blue-eyed white actress. Whether it was through riches, coincidence, scenario, specifics, whatever, she was one of the first trans actresses to break through, and that has led to a possibility, that in whatever future trans women are more accepted than they are now, this is the norm. It’s already so bad for cishet women at the moment with that one picture of the Blonde White Actresses that are all indistinguishable from each other.
But this is the outcome that's presented to ourselves when we conform to them rather than making them conform to their standards unless something is done now. And to be frank, I have 0 trust in any form of activism people can do to get this fixed because the only thing that will happen is people who are bad at acting will feign progressiveness to get a gig and ruin it for everyone. We had cared about optics and conformed, but think of it as sort of passing. We’ve conformed ourselves to such a degree we will be facing the same strides as cis women do to obtain acting gigs, except, we take pride in caring for those who are discriminated. It creates this juxtaposition where, a community who cares so much, or at least seems to care so much, for intersectionality have set themselves up to go against in this never-ending pursuit to be accepted by those around us. An either way, this will affect us more too, as in a past article I have discussed how in the US, Trans People Of Color are an over represented demographic (that means there's more Trans People of Color per Capita of All Trans People vs the same thing but Cis). And if the standards are set to this specific subset of women. We’re not going to get as many chances.
Remember Not Optics, But setting them up to their own this nnn standards, and as a progressive, you can do this with anything conservative it works wonders.