All posts by Manan Bhavnani

Journalism junior at Northwestern University in Qatar. Interested in football, film, theatre and politics.
Gender Issues

Transgender models, fashion & society

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In the not-too distant past, a model could lose their job, solely for being transgender. Indeed, both Tracey Norman and Caroline Cossey saw their careers come to a halt in the 1980s after tabloid stories disclosed their trans identities.

Today, things are different.

In August, Chanel tied up with Teddy Quinlivan, who became the first openly transgender woman to work with the fashion giant.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1eA307g9mq/?igshid=1lip219qmo62a

The same month, Victoria’s Secret partnered with Valentina Sampaio, with the Brazil-born model earning the same honor as Quinlivan, albeit for VS Pink.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B0oDsqnC2am/?igshid=13bzukk2yti48

According to Elspeth H. Brown, Associate Professor of History at the University of Toronto, Bruce Jenner coming out as Caitlyn Jenner in 2015 was a factor in changing people’s views on trans individuals. Further, actress Laverne Cox, who plays Sophie in Orange is the New Black, has also had a positive impact through her advocacy of LGBTQ+ issues.

However, fashion endorsements, positive representations and advocacy of trans people can only go so far. Statistics show that in 2018, at least 26 trans individuals were killed due to fatal violence, with a majority being black transgender women. For 2019, that number currently stands at 19. This is the major issue trans people are faced with, besides the mistreatment and abuse they experience regularly.

If we can accept the trans community in advertisements and fashion campaigns, then it is only right to accept them as individuals and grant them the freedoms and dignity as listed by the United Nations Bill of Rights. It’s about time we did.

Gender Issues

Sam Smith, Gender & media representations of LGBTQ+ people

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Over the weekend, American singer Sam Smith came out as non-binary, announcing their decision in an Instagram post.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2WpiusAc6h/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

According to Associated Press Guidelines, news outlets should honor individuals’ choices and use appropriate pronouns as required.

However, in their initial filing of the story, AP failed to follow their own guidelines and used he/him pronouns, drawing criticism from Smith’s fans, as well as several users on Twitter and other social media.

In this op-ed, journalist Ashley Dye expresses the symbolic meaning behind AP’s reporting error, calling their actions transphobic.

AP’s error in covering Smith is troubling, because it portrays LGBTQ+ voices and individuals as invalid.

Being a wire service, the Associated Press plays a key role in sourcing news and while AP subsequently corrected their report, the same cannot be said for news outlets who ran with the original update, as they may not have noticed the issue, and much less amended it after.

Smith’s case and the discussion around it are part of the wider conversation about LGBTQ+ narratives in media and their recognition as people. Words matter – and it’s time we respect people’s pronouns. Here’s to Sam Smith and to Ashley Dye!