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outrage-transphobic-tampon
as much as this topic [in principle] offended me, thought it was worthwhile
http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2012/01/03/outrage-transphobic-tampon-ad/
TRANSGENDER advocates claim a new tampon advertisement takes the cringe factor surrounding women’s sanitary products to new lows by stereotyping its community members.
A preview of a Libra ad featuring a drag queen character and a blonde woman was uploaded to Facebook on December 21 to a storm of criticism. It is also playing on New Zealand television.
Both women sneak glances at each other while they get competitive about putting on their mascara in a mirror, lipgloss and adjusting their bras.
In an apparent coup de grace the blonde pulls out a tampon and the drag queen walks out of the bathroom.
Agender NZ president Cherise Witehira, said many in the transgender community were outraged at the ads which were “blatantly transphobic”.
“It’s extremely offensive because it’s pretty much saying the only way you can be a woman is to get your period.
“That’s where a lot of the anger in the community is coming from – it’s saying you are not a woman unless you can get your period.
“Obviously we can’t menstruate. However, we identify as female.”
The “bitchy” ad also stereotyped all transgender women as drag queens, and reinforced the belief that transgendered people were not normal, Ms Witehira said. She would be asking for the ads to be pulled.
SCA, the company which owns the brand, did not return Herald calls yesterday.
Many vented on the company’s Libra Facebook page yesterday, saying they were boycotting the product.
Bex Alphabet said: “I don’t think I’ve been so disgusted or offended by a tampon advert before (and let’s face it, most of them are terrible). Shame on you Libra. Not only is this a terrible, cruel reminder to people who might struggle with their gender, but also an insult to all women – how dare you imply we are that competitive and spiteful over a godamn period? So glad I don’t buy your products.”
However, one woman said people should grow a funny bone: “Liking the new Libra ad! I don’t find it offensive at all. People we are in 2012! Time to lighten up a little & get with the times!!”
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38 Replies
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Hi all..
A copy of part of an email from TransGender Vivtoria spokesperson Sally Goldner dated the 3rd Jan 2012..
Quote:The issue has been going nuts on facetoob in the last 36 hours or so.Libra and its parent company have as of this afternoon withdrawn the ad from TV in New Zealand (it hadn’t gone on air in Aus).
Amanda, I’d value your opinion is to whether the taller person is portraying a trans woman or a drag queen as that is a point of reasonable debate.
The comments on the Libra page on FB were also appalling.
We can take great heart that lots of trans and allied people stood up strongly in the face of often intense personal attacks and responded with clarity and logic.
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Firstly here is the link for the actual 30 second commercial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lReX1dAUAE
Members should perhaps view it and come to their own thoughts about the commercial.
I will share my thoughts:
This is how I viewed it – I saw a drag queen enter the powder room and she is, with her over enthusiastic make up touch up presumably saying she is prettier than the person on camera right. The person on the right counters this by offering a libra tampon – basically saying I am the genuine article. The commercial tag line is “Libra gets girls”.
Libra has a history of making amusing commercials and this is one in a series.
1. I found the fact that a drag queen entering a presumably ladies powder room and being accepted a good portrayal. It showed that this was not a big deal.
2. A drag Queen by definition is a male performer over dressing as a female (and sometimes actually by doing so being offensive to some woman). However in this commercial the drag queen is accepted and it is only her over zealousness that perhaps causes the other person to offer the libra product.
3. In my opinion I see no offense being made to Drag Queens.
4. Why this is even a topic of concern in the gender diverse community escapes me actually.
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Ok.
I found it funny (definition: I smiled briefly and my blood temperature didn’t rise).
I couldn’t care at all “what” the left hand person is portraying – as any attempt to categorise them on the basis of 30 seconds video would be an attempt to put “types” of gender diversity in tidy boxes – which is in my opinion a far worse crime than any Libra has committed. The fact that TransGender Victoria sees that as a valid thing to do is in my opinion quite worrying.
Some in our community apparently are unable to acknowledge the reality of physical sex. Though some gender diverse people may have an essentially female brain, no matter how much surgery you have to “fix things up” we can never achieve a complete female body. All we do is make ourselves more acceptable in a twisted society that only considers true male or true female as acceptable presentations.
I’m guessing here that those most offended by the advertisement are also those who have not yet reached this acknowledgement of reality.
But in the very act of making a big fuss about the advertisement they out themselves as being “different” from the women they seek to emulate. Why?
Because I would bet on the fact that few genetic women would find the advertisement offensive (that is if they even understood what it was about in the first place!).If only those who fight so vocally for the rights of everyone to be a woman could divert their energy to a more useful cause – fighting for acceptance of gender diverse people no matter how they present.
Then perhaps the community would stop being so precious about videos like this one. -
I have only just seen the advert and I thought it was tastefully funny! And I didn’t perceive a direct or implied anti-trans message from the commercial either!
Why the outrage about Trans people not being considered ‘real’ women? No matter our feminine state of mind, nor our physical attributes – prior to or after surgeries, we will never ‘be’ natural females in the real sense! We may get close to being a perfect female (my personal wish!), but it’s a fact of life we will never experience some of the attributes a ‘born’ female does – it’s why I’ll never be pregnant! There are significant variations between Transgender people on whether they perceive themselves as truly female or not – get used to it!
In the commercial, I just recognised the ‘over-the-top’ actions of a Drag Queen. Seriously, how many Transgender women go into the ladies room and act like that at the mirror in front of real women?
Isn’t the attention given to the advert by the media an opportunity to respond in the public realm with a proactive statement that promotes the legitimency of our community rather than being reactive with outrage?
I have quoted the actor’s comments about the commercial from their Facebook page below.
Clare.
Quote:My name is Sandee Crack. I am the drag queen that you have all seen in the Libra commercial that has been shot down by some of the transgender community.I would firstly like to state that I am in fact a gay man that dresses in drag as a performer. I have been doing so for many years and will continue to do so. I have never considered myself to be transgendered and never will do. When I was presented with the Libra commercial and saw it as a great opportunity to participate in a positive step towards acceptance for drag queens & gay men among the wider community. Libra were both sensitive, professional and accepting of my needs as a drag queen & as a gay man throughout the production process. I never felt for one moment that I would be depicted as a trans woman, nor do I believe that I have been. We consciously kept my arm hair, chose strapless dresses to accentuate my broad shoulders and if you look carefully you will notice my stubble is slightly visible. They also ensured I looked much taller than the girl next to me. I was shown the ad prior to release and I was thrilled with it. I have received enormous support from both transgendered, gay & straight individuals from all over the World since the ad was released in New Zealand. I believe strongly that by putting a drag queen into the mainstream media, we are one step closer to acceptance and this is something I am very proud to be part of.
Unfortunately, a small portion of the trans community have chosen to view the ad as a personal attack on their fight to be viewed as equal women within society. This is a fight I also feel strongly about and I hope to help educate the wider community on. However, I feel hurt that representing myself as a drag queen on television and playing out a common place scenario in my life has lead to a clear “Dragphobia” among some transgendered individuals who wish to pull the plug on something that reflects true honesty about the life of a drag queen. A drag queen is a man in women’s clothing and if that offends a trans woman I am afraid I cannot apologise, as by doing so I am apologising for being me.
I hope that the campaign goes to air in Australia, it would be an enormous step forward for Australia and for the World.
Thank you
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I am with you Bambi, I think it was amusing.
I suppose though it means that it will cause sales of their tampons to crossdressers and transitioning TGs to drop to nothing.
June
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Lots of issues are on the table here. These are my views. I accept that we live in a world with wide political perceptions and that what I think is not necessarily correct or that people have to abide by it. We can all make our own decisions and we all have our own political stance. And, I would emphasise, I am more than happy to be persuaded to the contrary.
But here are some things that strike me:
1. The gender diverse community (and you can interpret that as wide as possible – everyone in between the binary gender spectrum) suffers from discrimination, vilification, belittlement, inequality and rejection (to some degree):
http://allyns.tumblr.com/post/13381652199
2. The keystones to changing these statistics involve education and positive media portrayal. Until the general public has a good understanding of what is the core of the gender diverse experience and existence, and until there is acceptance and equality, the statistics in point one above will not reduce or be eliminated. As before, I am happy to consider any arguments or evidence to the contrary.
3. Regarding positive media portrayal, accepting the theory of symbolic annihilation (Coleman),
http://sitemaker.umich.edu/rrmc/files/icae_v11_01.pdf
and in that context, media portrayal of the members of the gender diverse community can be
(a) positive
(b) neutral
(c) negativeIn the negative category, portrayal that is condemnation or trivialisation of anyone in the gender diverse community would fall within this analysis.
4. Stereotyping – generalisations about a group of things or people – cannot be considered as positive or neutral:
http://remember.org/guide/History.root.stereotypes.html
So the danger about even a positive portrayal, is that if there is an element of, or possible interpretation by the general public (which practices all the things which contribute to the statistics in point one above), that results in stereotyping, then that portrayal will become a neutral one or negative one.
I think, therefore that it is best for media to err on the side of the policy of not publishing anything that can be remotely interpreted as a neutral or a negative portrayal of the gender diverse community and everyone in it. If the portrayal is going to be positive, it should clearly be so, without any ambiguity as to any possibility of interpretation of that portrayal as being neutral or negative.
5. The Libra media campaign could be applauded for condoning the use of female designated facilities by people notwithstanding lacking conformity with the general perception as to what constitutes the binary gender markers. In fact, Libra could easily have overcome this furore by simply adding an additional by-line “Libra gets gender diverse people too”. But because it doesn’t, there is the danger that the general public may perceive a harmful stereotype of women (you are only a “girl” if you menstruate, that only “girls” menstruate), a harmful stereotype of drag queens (that they represent the face of the gay community), and a harmful stereotype of the transgender community (that all transgender people are drag queens, or that “acceptable” physical presentation is a prerequisite to use of female designated facilities).
6. Unfortunately, on balance and given the possibilities of stereotyping by the general public, the Libra commercial seems to not quite portray anyone from the gender diverse community (in general) in a positive light.
And I don’t think that the criteria as to whether this commercial is acceptable or not is whether we, as individuals, find the commercial acceptable. We may be logical, reasonable, accepting people with full understanding of the gender diverse experience and existence. We may readily accept people who do not conform to the binary gender paradigm.
Perhaps what we need to consider is how the general public will perceive the commercial. From the comments on Facebook, and news media sites, the commercial has not done much to educate or generate any (articulated) newly found acceptance by those who have a negative perception of the gender diverse condition. And so, I would suspect, the statistics in point one above are not likely to reduce or be eliminated.
Oh, and as for the “lighten up” argument, of course we all need a sense of humour and ability to laugh at ourselves. But we also need to try and make the world a better place for our community too. Which takes precedence if there is no choice of having both?
Are the statistics in point one above precious to us?
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I’m much in agreement with Clare on this. I found no offence whatsoever, I thought the ad was funny, definately not transphobic. Sales of tampons must have skyrocketed with all the publicity.
Liz
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Quote:…
Perhaps what we need to consider is how the general public will perceive the commercial. From the comments on Facebook, and news media sites, the commercial has not done much to educate or generate any (articulated) newly found acceptance by those who have a negative perception of the gender diverse condition. …
Virginia,
In these times it is convenient to find someone to blame for the world not being perfect – and in this case you make a compelling argument why we should police the media to better portray the gender diverse (and any other minority).
But the Libra advertisement story shows I think that there are other significant factors affecting the public perception of gender.
Let us consider hypothetically what the likely outcome would have been had the advertisement been aired without any adverse public comment.
As you observed,Quote:Unfortunately, on balance and given the possibilities of stereotyping by the general public, the Libra commercial seems to not quite portray anyone from the gender diverse community (in general) in a positive light.That is the issue I think. If no one had said anything the outcome would have probably been neutral. I have tested the video on two GGs and feel that any potential stereotyping would have been lost on most viewers. I also note that the quote Clare posted shows the actor involved felt deeply that the advertisement had a positive GBLTI message.
But what happened?
Instead we observe an outpouring of venom and indignation by gender diverse people on public forums.
Some claim to be advocates for the community, some are just interested in banging their own drum.
Frankly I am embarrassed to read their comments.
I associate with little of what they are saying, and their “arguments” seem to be poorly thought through.
In many cases what is said is more offensive to other members of the gender diverse community than the original advertisement.
And the public reacts predictably (and negatively) to such rubbish.At least the script writers and lawyers at Libra took some time to check what they were saying.
So there is no doubt that the outcome of this episode will be negative to the community – but any blame for that I think rests with those who chose a public forum to name and shame Libra.
I’m not advocating “lightening up” – but rather “shutting up” – if you hear your own voice louder than the needs of the community.
Only when we can demonstrate how to portray ourselves positively can we expect the media to follow suit.
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From SameSame…
An artice titled “I’m proud to be Libra’s girl” by the Melbourne Drag Queen, Sandee Crack
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Hi,
As a woman i thought it was good a bit of fun & said what was needed.
im a woman this is what i use & you ( Sandee ) being a man dont need. to use.
If some in the trans community stop thier belly acheing or chip on the shoulder campain maybe just maybe people would accept trans people more readily, its this fight for thier rights thats part of the issues.
May be being around the trans community for 15 years iv seen enough to know that people dont need to be forced in to having to accept trans people & this is whats happening the comments by the trans community those involved have shown a attitude that my friends wont accept .
They would say its pathetic. over a ad that does not apply to them.The can of worms are out & a storm in a tea cup.
…noeleena…
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Just had a look at the add and can only say LOL.
If you offended by that the problem is in your head. -
Hi Girls,
I have just veiwed the link, and all I can say is that the Drag Queen played her role out well, which they are good at, and the Generic Girl with the tampon had a smile to die for.
I cant see any offence in this.
Hugs,
Connie. -
While many have , so far , made some valid points, I for one , happen to think that this ad is not a positive one on a number of levels.
The message I read after seeing the ad was that only real girls bleed. I am concerned about that idea as it relates to TG folk but also for the vast numbers of women who no longer menstruate. Are they real women? Many that I know who are in that category keenly feel that society ignores women once they reach a certain age , seeing them as no longer relevant.
I do not find the ad offensive per se but think that the general public will not see the ad and say to themselves” Oh that person is a drag queen, a gay man, and not a transsexual.” IMO they will see her as a transvestite with all the negative connotations that are attached to that label.
The fact that the person who was paid to act in the ad sees no problem with his portrayal means nothing. What would we expect him to say?
For me , the baseline is to imagine someone from another minority group , one that is fighting for recognition of their issues, say Aborigines or people with cerebral palsy, in the role , with an equivalent humorous ” put down” visual gag . Then ask ; ” is the message a positive one?” Some groups have fought long and hard for the small grudging acceptance that society grants them and it is not so easy to feel debased and just grin and ” get over it” as so many suggest.
Whether we personally find it offensive or not is also irrelevant. If some people find it offensive then it is offensive . To them! Are their feelings somehow less relevant than ours? The ad is not entertainment or satire. It is made purely to sell product. As long as the company does not run foul of the guidelines too much and does not draw the ire of the authorities, what do they care of the fallout ?
I think that the fact that the ad has been withdrawn and an apology of sorts has been issued says something for the faith that this multinational company has in their own judgement. -
Political correctness gone mad yet again. It is a bit of fun. Yes – the purpose of this ad is to sell tampons. Yes, only natal women really need them. I am neither offended nor insulted by this ad. I have a vagina and I am glad I do not need them……..(pads on the other hand….) But then again, neither do menopausal or post hysterectomy women either.
It is purely one-up-man-ship where the woman (natal) comes out on top (for a change). I don’t hear anyone complaining about all the other ‘I’m as good/better” than you taking place before hand? The trump card is the tampon and the advertisers knew there was no getting around that one LOL!
PS/ I would love to have been able to have babies but all that other yukky stuff???? hmphhhh
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NO offense seen or taken here… I can see how people could find it tasteless, I do see it as upsetting in a very very minor way… it makes any transexual confront the one unchangable fact of modern medical technology.. We cannot and will not be able to reproduce because we cannot and will not have a womb which means by very fact we will never have ‘periods’…
That said the small minded keyboard warriors on YouTube in reaction to each other (trans and non trans) are a lot more upsetting. Most are bad as each other.
