The fashion industry is generally tolerant and gay friendly but not always open to embracing transgender models. Over the last few years however this has been changing, with Givenchy featuring Brazilian transgender model Lea T in Riccardo in its ad campaign.
Barneys New York has tackled this subject in its new Bruce Weber ad campaign, featuring a cast of 20 transgender male and female models. The “Brothers, Sisters, Son & Daughters” campaign (the brainchild of Barneys’ Dennis Freedman), is ground breaking and tells the stories of the models alongside photographs, with family members, pets and other people in their support networks.
That video is really moving; so beautifully done …
Barney’s windows have the campaign running on screens too, vey powerful stuff Ax
I agree that it’s a beautifully put together video, but I personally think that a lot more needs to be done to educate people (including myself) about the subject in order to aid understanding of the thoughts that drive a person to want to switch their sex. Until that happens, sadly I think that alienation will still occur; mainly through others’ confusion over how thoughts, feelings and behaviour differ from someone just knowing that they’re ‘gay’, ‘feminine’ or a ‘tomboy’.
I agree Abbie, I have watched a couple of excellent TV documentaries on this and it’s a very difficult and complicated subject. Just making it “fashionable” is not enough, but a start I suppose.
J x