A Brave New World

Let's talk about the world of trans. No, I am not talking about trans-fat, which is being rejected the country over. I mean the other trans that have long been rejected: trans-gendered and trans-sexual. Over the weekend, I read this article in the New York Times. It is about trans-gendered and transexual people finding exposure in the fashion industry. It focuses on the model Lea T, who recently starred in a big campaign for Givenchy. I love that people on different parts of the gender spectrum are able to be themselves in whatever role they choose for themselves. I think that different sets of identities are more accepted in the fashion industry than in other established professional realms. However, it must still be difficult to be a transgendered model who undoubtedly has grown up with many conflicting ideas of what beauty should be. To become part of a world that is centered on image must be either terribly frightening or terribly liberating. Ady Ben-Israel, the program coordinator of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center in Manhattan states in the article, “… it’s important to advocate for sustained media attention, not just celebrating people who attain a particular beauty standard that reinforces gender norms, which are a source of a lot of the difficulty for trans people in the first place.” That’s a good point and it would be nice to see this type of acceptance cross over into other areas of life. But for now, it is really cool to see transgendered people on the front of a magazine. This is something that would never have occurred a century ago.

Isn't calling a show about plastic surgery a reality show an oxymoron?

Well, much to my chagrin, I don’t think that I can write a blog about women and the media without talking about the E network’s newest high-brow affair, “Bridalplasty.” For those of you not familiar, it is as horrific as it sounds. From the name alone, you can probably guess the premise. “Bridalplasty” is a reality show/competition where twelve would-be brides compete for extreme plastic surgery procedures. Every week, one is eliminated until one is left standing, perched upon on the altar of perfection to be transformed into a better version of themselves.
Wow, this program is dangerous on so many levels. Where does one even begin? The most obvious message that is being conveyed here is that value is based in women’s physical attributes. It is quite unsettling to observe the casualness with which these ladies go though nose jobs and botox injections. Plastic surgery has become such a nonchalant part of our culture, especially as represented by the media, that it seems acceptable to have this as an ultimate desire.
Another tragic part of the show is the way that these women are pitted against each other. They are “hating on” each other in fine form. Creating manipulative alliances, back-stabbing one another, or simply making fun of one another’s physique are just part of the daily routine. I am so tired of seeing women hating women in the media.
Additionally, the fact that this transformation is leading these gals to the altar is whole other can of worms. Marriage and the ritual of a wedding already have so many ancient traditions that were created to treat women as a commodity. Tied together with the notion of perfection by means of plastic surgery just creates a firestorm of bad ideas.
I think that the worst part of the show that I sampled was the challenge portion of the show. The competition required that the women put together magnetic puzzle pieces of what “you COULD look like at the end of your journey” over pictures of the women as they look today, in bikinis, of course. The “winners” of this challenge were awarded with a syringe that would get them into an exclusive injectables party. It was almost comical how the ladies gasped in awe at the prospect of winning such a luxury. It would have been funny if it wasn’t for the fact that it was just so sad.