Highlights
- Western society began embracing transgender beauty standards in the early 21st century.
- Transgender celebrities, like Laverne Cox, are challenging traditional beauty norms.
- Many trans influencers are using their popularity to advocate for trans rights.
- Inclusive beauty ideas inspire us to express ourselves through fashion beyond gender norms.
What makes a woman beautiful? How do we define a handsome man? And why do we still attach certain expectations of appearance to a person’s gender?
Our society dictates the ideals of beauty, and these ideas of who and what is beautiful are different from generation to generation. Transgender beauty standards are changing the way we judge physical appearance.
The Evolution of Transgender Beauty Standards
Did ideals of beauty exist in prehistoric times? Apparently, yes. The oldest item of jewelry found by archeologists’ dates back 25,000 years!
We don’t know much about the definition of attractive appearance in those times, as there are no written accounts. Since the ability to reproduce and keep the offspring alive were important, we can suspect that women were appreciated for their wide hips and healthy looks, while strong men were preferred mates.
The human understanding of beauty has evolved since then, but beauty norms remained attached to women and men separately. The desired sizes of women’s breasts and waist have changed over centuries, even to the point of forcing the ladies into corsets to modify their silhouettes. For men, a plump figure was once a sign of prosperity, but the standard has returned to the ancient ideal of a trim, muscular man that we’re familiar with today.
The idea that it’s possible to mix male and female fashion and beauty standards became more popular in the 1920s. The ideal woman of the time had a boyish figure, wore pants, and had short hair. These changes stemmed from women’s fight for gender equality.
It took another century for our western culture to embrace transgender beauty standards. Trans celebrities and role models are redefining what it means to be beautiful. Today, we’re learning to see beauty beyond the gender binary division.
Challenging Traditional Beauty Norms
Transgender individuals are gaining visibility in the show business and fashion industry, challenging the understanding of masculinity and femininity.
These transgender celebrities are only a few who are showing the world what non-binary beauty looks like:
Laverne Cox
Laverne Cox is an American actress and producer who has been a trailblazer for the transgender community and trans women of color. She became one of the first lead characters in a mainstream TV show. She was the first transgender actress to receive an Emmy Awards nomination for the role in the television series “Orange Is the New Black.” Cox is using her popularity to advocate for trans rights.
“I think we need to start seeing beauty in all of its forms, and that includes transgender people.” – Laverne Cox
Chella Man
Chella Man is a deaf, transgender, and genderfluid model and actor of Chinese and Jewish descent. He speaks about his experience of gender dysphoria and serves as an example of gender fluid beauty. In 2021, he became one of the first trans men to model for a major beauty brand, Yves Saint Laurent.
Hari Nef
Hari Nef is an American actress, model, and writer. She is best known for her role in the TV series “Transparent.” She was the first openly transgender woman to be featured on the cover of a major British magazine. Her face appeared next to cisgender celebrities in television commercials for L’Oreal beauty products.
The Impact of Transgender Individuals on Fashion and Beauty
Famous brands are embracing LGBTQ+ beauty and fashion as a sign of their openness to diversity. While big companies undoubtedly have business interests in mind, they are creating positive change along the way.
Representation matters, and a trans person who sees someone like them on the catwalk or in a magazine may feel more confident to express their unique beauty and sense of style.
Many transgender influencers are not stopping at being the pretty faces in lipstick campaigns. They are using their fame to push for a deeper transformation within the beauty and fashion industries.
Their arguments for changing the dictates of fashion go way beyond the aesthetics. Transgender activists see public pressure to look a certain way as an act of oppression.
And the statistics are shocking. In the U.S., over 50 percent of young trans men and almost 42 percent of young trans women have attempted suicide. In the general youth population, that percentage is much lower at 14 percent.
One of the most passionate advocates for trans rights is writer and artist Alok Vaid-Menon. They are the creator of #DeGenderFashion initiative, advocating for degendering the fashion and beauty industries. Degendering fashion means more than offering unisex clothing — it’s about designing products without the assumption that they are made for a particular gender.
“The scrutiny on our bodies distracts us from what’s really going on here: control. The emphasis on our appearance distracts us from the real focus: power.” – Alok Vaid-Menon, “Beyond the Gender Binary”
Promoting Body Positivity and Diversity in the Beauty Industry
The transgender community stands for diversity in beauty and body positivity in fashion. These values are the foundations of an open-minded society. It’s not easy to think of yourself as beautiful when you’re a person of color, have a disability, wear plus-size clothing, or identify as trans but all you see in the media are white, slim, able-bodied, cisgender models.
Trans activists are boldly showing the world that beauty is not a single standard everyone has to follow. And they are amplifying the voices of other community members. For example, model Geena Rocero started the production company Gender Proud, through which she invites young trans persons to present their vision of beauty, and share their dreams and aspirations.
Transgender influencers are fighting for a world in which we can define our own beauty standards. They want everyone to feel safe to express their gender identity through beauty and fashion, without paying attention to traditional labels. We can all become inspired by transgender fashion and inclusive beauty ideas.
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Anka Grzywacz is a sexologist, reproductive health expert and Certified Sex Coach™. In her online practice she helps busy women and couples solve their intimate problems.