there is something about this that makes me cringe. i can’t quite put my finger on it, but since the “man in a dress” thing gets trotted out frequently to debase trans women i wonder about the effectiveness of this video to include all women as equals. there was no mention in this video of the fact that every two *days* a trans person gets murdered somewhere in the world. and that it’s generally a trans woman of color being murdered. i just fear that by once again putting a cisgender man in a dress that we trivialize the lives of trans women, erasing them. it seems the same message could have been made without daniel craig in a dress.
[Hi Shay – This is the second time I’ve heard the argument that men in drag (as opposed to actual drag queens) are being used to debase trans women. Where is this conversation happening, and can you suggest a good link? I think this video was made to address inequalities between men and women in a pithy and SHORT way. Since so many in their intended audience has no acquaintance with transgender issues, I can hardly fault them for not trying to include transgender stats. I think putting an icon of masculinity in a dress in a way that is absolutely NOT for laughs is powerful. He isn’t mugging, he’s just standing there visually being a woman, then hearing about women’s reality saying “NO THANKS.” That isn’t to discount your reaction, just to say that you’re way out ahead of most of the world and although I’m sure it gets tiring being so, I do think this is an excellent use of iconic image (including Judi Dench’s iconic voice!) to upend comfortable assumptions or to shake up complacency. And we need to have coffee sometime! – PB]
My immediate quibble on watching this was the statement that men are rarely sexually assaulted. Not only is it not that rare for grown men to be attacked in this way, but it’s unfortunately common for young boys to be victimised as well. And nearly everyone knows that, so probably just infelicitous phrasing on the part of the script writer.
I’m not quite sure what I think about Daniel Craig in a dress – I did notice a few comments in the press about how the “giveaway” was his “huge” shoulders, which reminded me of getting the occasional comment/insult about that myself (partly unusual body shape for a woman, partly the legacy of years of various fitness and martial arts activities increasing it).
hey! i am looking around for a good link and i’ll post it as soon as i find one (of course at the moment i can’t find what i’m looking for). i think in general this idea of putting men in dresses and making them the butt of the joke (which isn’t happening here, i realize) has been happening a lot recently (an episode of SNL to name one example). it’s this sneaky, or not so sneaky in the SNL sketch, way of saying that men in dresses are funny and aren’t real women.
i understand that making mention of statistics of trans women in a short video like this would have been tough, however the use of craig in the dress seems to specifically *negate* the lives of trans women and exclude them from the category of women which is so hurtful.
i posted this video on my blog as well and there is a comment there from a trans woman who was really offended by the video.
(ps. i would love to get coffee. i’m in the great city of minneapolis now so if you’re ever out this way, let me know!)
Despite the potential for this to be offense to trans-gendered women that was certainly not its intention and I think the video is wonderful for what it tries to say/draw attention to. Below is a link to a blogpost about it that seems wonderfully appropriate for this Ash Wednesday. http://jkameroncarter.com/?p=1003
I don’t find it offensive, and I love the stern voice of M laying out the challenge for all of us, but I find the action inexplicable. Bond walks in. He listens, apparently impassively. He returns, made up convincingly as a woman. After a few moments he takes off his wig. Why does he take off his wig, and only his wig? I sat there pondering the deep significance of long blond hair, as distinct from makeup, a dress, and heels. Came up blank. It kind of reads as if Bond got so depressed in that moment that he couldn’t even complete his transformation back into a respected, i.e., male, member of society. What on earth was the director trying to convey?
First let me say that I have several trans friends male-female and the reverse.
I don’t think this video is meant to be a commentary on transwomen; I think it’s made to be a short and yes pithy commentary on the inequalities women still face.
there is something about this that makes me cringe. i can’t quite put my finger on it, but since the “man in a dress” thing gets trotted out frequently to debase trans women i wonder about the effectiveness of this video to include all women as equals. there was no mention in this video of the fact that every two *days* a trans person gets murdered somewhere in the world. and that it’s generally a trans woman of color being murdered. i just fear that by once again putting a cisgender man in a dress that we trivialize the lives of trans women, erasing them. it seems the same message could have been made without daniel craig in a dress.
[Hi Shay – This is the second time I’ve heard the argument that men in drag (as opposed to actual drag queens) are being used to debase trans women. Where is this conversation happening, and can you suggest a good link? I think this video was made to address inequalities between men and women in a pithy and SHORT way. Since so many in their intended audience has no acquaintance with transgender issues, I can hardly fault them for not trying to include transgender stats. I think putting an icon of masculinity in a dress in a way that is absolutely NOT for laughs is powerful. He isn’t mugging, he’s just standing there visually being a woman, then hearing about women’s reality saying “NO THANKS.” That isn’t to discount your reaction, just to say that you’re way out ahead of most of the world and although I’m sure it gets tiring being so, I do think this is an excellent use of iconic image (including Judi Dench’s iconic voice!) to upend comfortable assumptions or to shake up complacency. And we need to have coffee sometime! – PB]
My immediate quibble on watching this was the statement that men are rarely sexually assaulted. Not only is it not that rare for grown men to be attacked in this way, but it’s unfortunately common for young boys to be victimised as well. And nearly everyone knows that, so probably just infelicitous phrasing on the part of the script writer.
I’m not quite sure what I think about Daniel Craig in a dress – I did notice a few comments in the press about how the “giveaway” was his “huge” shoulders, which reminded me of getting the occasional comment/insult about that myself (partly unusual body shape for a woman, partly the legacy of years of various fitness and martial arts activities increasing it).
hey! i am looking around for a good link and i’ll post it as soon as i find one (of course at the moment i can’t find what i’m looking for). i think in general this idea of putting men in dresses and making them the butt of the joke (which isn’t happening here, i realize) has been happening a lot recently (an episode of SNL to name one example). it’s this sneaky, or not so sneaky in the SNL sketch, way of saying that men in dresses are funny and aren’t real women.
i understand that making mention of statistics of trans women in a short video like this would have been tough, however the use of craig in the dress seems to specifically *negate* the lives of trans women and exclude them from the category of women which is so hurtful.
i posted this video on my blog as well and there is a comment there from a trans woman who was really offended by the video.
(ps. i would love to get coffee. i’m in the great city of minneapolis now so if you’re ever out this way, let me know!)
Despite the potential for this to be offense to trans-gendered women that was certainly not its intention and I think the video is wonderful for what it tries to say/draw attention to. Below is a link to a blogpost about it that seems wonderfully appropriate for this Ash Wednesday.
http://jkameroncarter.com/?p=1003
I don’t find it offensive, and I love the stern voice of M laying out the challenge for all of us, but I find the action inexplicable. Bond walks in. He listens, apparently impassively. He returns, made up convincingly as a woman. After a few moments he takes off his wig. Why does he take off his wig, and only his wig? I sat there pondering the deep significance of long blond hair, as distinct from makeup, a dress, and heels. Came up blank. It kind of reads as if Bond got so depressed in that moment that he couldn’t even complete his transformation back into a respected, i.e., male, member of society. What on earth was the director trying to convey?
First let me say that I have several trans friends male-female and the reverse.
I don’t think this video is meant to be a commentary on transwomen; I think it’s made to be a short and yes pithy commentary on the inequalities women still face.