Pageants such as Miss Transgender UK aren’t a right step forward. But they may encourage the many trans women still sufferingIs a beauty pageant any way to “normalise” the transgender experience? Hmm,let me deem. No. The bottom line for anyone possessed of even a smidgeon of feminist understanding is that beauty contests are a bad thing. However they are dressed up – and I don’t mean swimsuits v ballgowns – they encourage women, often quite deprived women, and to compete by conforming to exaggerated patriarchal ideals of womanhood and attractiveness. And a trans contest? Well,that just doubles down on the insult, diminishing all women, and trans and non-trans alike. For not only does it buy into the inherent sexism of such a competition,but it also reinforces the notion that trans women must conform to conventional feminine ideals, propping up the gender binary. Related: Trans: A Memoir by Juliet Jacques review – an honest account of gender transition Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com