There have now been several instances where trans women (mainly Black Trans Women) have been harassed en masse for speaking to the impact of “the trans girl aesthetic” on the broader beauty industry and in general society.

Let's discuss:

The melee starts with a cis woman posting pics/vids of her hair & makeup, then a Trans Woman (usu. Blk) praises it and our community’s role in shaping the aesthetic that’s being capitalized on.

Then cis women (aided by cishet men) go on the attack and the transphobia is RIFE.

This latest instance involves ONE Summer Walker, whose makeup was done by Nikita Dragun- a trans woman of color. Several tweets excitedly credited the aesthetic featured as one that originated in our community. There was no shade or direct insult to Summer.

Then like clockwork, you inserted yourselves into the mix, made the comments about YOU, projected your own insecurities onto us, played victim to attacks that never occurred, and then let your transphobia fly. You are violent. You are toxic. You are cruel.

Several things have occurred to me. First: “The trans aesthetic” being discussed is about a set of distinct looks that have been curated by our community over time. It is cultural. It is not now (nor has it ever been) solely about plastic surgery or cosmetic procedures.

Instead of acknowledging the cultural aspects and things like hair, makeup, & style of dress that you had little/no hand in creating and can't take credit for, you choose to reduce it down to body modification so that you can assert your “authenticity” over our alleged artifice.

It is transparent, and it leads me to my next point: You are treating statements like “The trans girl aesthetic is thriving in the cis community” as an accusation of theft. You respond with, “We are not copying you! We don’t want to look like you!,” but no such thing was said.

You can adopt elements of an aesthetic w/o looking like a member of that community or w/o having “copied” them. You're not being accused of mimicry or fraud, but that’s what you’re accusing us of. You say things like “But everything y’all do is to look like us!” And no, it’s not.

Let’s make one thing clear: Cisgender women do not exclusively own femininity. Femininity is a societal construct, but it also consists of individuals expressing their innate selves. Cis women are not responsible for my femininity. I was born with it.

Trans women are not trying to be you. We are trying to be ourselves. Affirming ourselves takes nothing away from cis women. We want what's ours, not what's yours. If your womanhood is threatened by mine, then that's on you.

So honestly, why does that threaten you?

Trans women do not aspire to be cis women. We aspire to be the goddesses we are. We aspire to be ourselves.

The problem lies in your fear and hatred of us. The thought of our freedom scares you so much that you willingly reduce your own identity down to your genitals in an attempt to one-up us. Well, congrats on that birth canal you're so proud of, but you did not birth us.

Peace.

(P.S. - Thank you to those of you who have spoken out against the violence and to those of you who have been respectfully discussing the matter with us. And most of all, peace and love to my trans sister. We are enough.)

(P.P.S. - This has also created a tangent convo about how "Gay men need to stay out of women's business" because one of the ppl giving proper credit to our community is @Brandivo, cis gay man. In THIS instance, it is deliberate misuse of feminism to protect transphobia. Stop it.)

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