'Subtle violence' in transgender lives

What is it about?

With the rise of consumer culture, everyone is now a consumer, and research has begun to explore a wide variety of perspectives and identities, including non-binary gender. As the trans community becomes more visible, a deeper understanding of its experiences is needed. Additionally, as this community is often marginalised and experiences inequalities, it is important to hear from them directly about the ways in which marketing and consumption can affect their lives. In this paper, we look at the hidden inequalities that can be experienced when transgender people shop, consume media, services and products. Symbolic violence refers to actions, messages, and other elements of being a consumer that seem invisible in everyday life. In a world tailored towards the male/female binary understanding of gender, we highlight the experiences how those who do not fit in or conform to this binary. In-depth interviews with trans and nonbinary consumers inform our findings. We find that there are different ways in which this subtle form of violence affects transgender and nonbinary consumers. At a broad level, marketing, advertising and media contribute to our culture and thus can both positively and negatively affect how gender diversity is perceived in society. We find that LGBTQ+ people tend to be referred to as a consistent group all sharing the same sort of characteristics; this obscures the rich and varied lives they lead and can side-line trans and nonbinary experiences. In our discussion, we argue that marketers and policy makers should consider their roles in reinforcing the entrenched gender binary and how they can act to make marketplaces more inclusive for people of all genders.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

In this work, we find that as trans people interact with others in a range of circumstances, such as family, co-workers, and service providers (e.g. doctors, retail staff), they can experience misgendering, discomfort and transphobia which can make them feel distressed and vulnerable. This may mean that they then avoid some situations and are limited in their consumption options. We discuss how individuals sometimes manage their appearance and behaviour so as not to stand out as transgender for their own safety. They may be careful to choose clothing which does not represent their gender identity but how their body is perceived instead; ‘passing’ as cisgender may help avoid the threat of harassment or physical violence. In doing so, they may feel vulnerable and suffer poor mental health because they are unable to be their authentic or true self. However, they may also rebel against conforming to the gender binary in ways which cannot be detected by others, but make them feel empowered.

Perspectives