We used to say that ‘sex sells.’ Now, it seems, transgenderism does.
We used to say that ‘sex sells.’ Now, it seems, transgenderism does — and women are being sidelined once again.
L ast month, I wrote about the cringeworthy exchange between Drew Barrymore and the male transgender activist, Dylan Mulvaney. Mulvaney displayed his vision of womanhood — a caricatural costume — and Barrymore fawned over it with performative virtue-signaling. If these are the types of behaviors deemed worthy of imitation in our culture, it’s no wonder we’re in such a mess.
As Rich Lowry wrote in a recent column, girls are struggling. The CDC reports record levels of depression among them and finds that more girls than ever are trying to opt out of womanhood through transgender identification. Among other things, one possible solution is for girls to find better female role models. The qualifications for becoming one ought to be being female and striving for high ideals. Increasingly, many celebrities and influencers who are filling this vacuum meet neither criterion.
For Women’s History Month, the sports company ESPN celebrated the achievements of Lia Thomas, a young man who rose to infamy for displacing women in their own sporting event. The decision to honor him was demoralizing to the female athletes harmed by his actions. Riley Gaines, an NCAA All-American swimmer, complained on Twitter that Thomas had not “EARNED a national title” but rather “STOLE a national title from a hardworking, deserving woman.”
Randall’s Island Crit, a cycling event in New York City, honored the transgender-identifying male Tiffany Thomas with first place in the women’s race. Thomas said he felt like a “superhero” on the podium. The feelings of female athletes who are beaten by men, meanwhile, are brushed aside. Hannah Arensman, a former cycling champion, quit in December after she earned fourth place, “flanked on either side by male riders awarded 3rd and 5th places” at the UCI Cyclocross National Championships. “My sister and family sobbed as they watched a man finish in front of me, having witnessed several physical interactions with him throughout the race,” she wrote in a statement filed to the Supreme Court.
The problem is not confined to sports. In advance of the International Women of Courage Awards in March 2023, the State Department’s press release said that the White House ceremony recognized “11 extraordinary women from around the world who are working to build a brighter future for all.” But one of these “extraordinary women” is, in fact, a man. Jill Biden bestowed an honor reserved for women on Alba Rueda, a male who serves as Argentina’s “Special Envoy for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.”
Chelsea Clinton and Lisa Bunker included an installment in their She Persisted children’s book series in which stars Rachel (formerly Richard) Levine. Far from being a female role model, Levine is a transgender-identifying male who spent nearly 50 years unambiguously as a heterosexual man, marrying a woman, and fathering children. Levine is now Biden’s assistant health secretary where he works to demolish sex-based rights and protections for women and children.
Even advertising has gotten in on the act. David Strom, at Hot Air, has noted how “makeup companies, feminine hygiene companies, and clothing companies have all concluded that men are better than women at selling their products.” Kate Spade, for instance, recently hired Dylan Mulvaney to promote its women’s clothing. A poster girl for L’Oréal’s advertising has been Munroe Bergdorf: a controversial, male trans activist from the U.K. L’Oréal briefly fired Bergdorf for calling “ALL white people” racist but rehired him two years later. Hershey’s Canada paid tribute to “Women’s Day” by casting a man in the lead role of its “Her for She” advertising campaign.
We used to say that “sex sells.” Now, it seems, transgenderism does.
In the 1982 satirical comedy Tootsie, starring Dustin Hoffman, Hoffman’s character (Michael Dorsey) impersonates a woman to land a starring role in a soap opera. In the movie, his impersonation of a woman is far more popular than the performances of the female actresses because what the audience wants is ham-fisted femininity — not the real thing.
Some may find that notion dispiriting. Back then, at least, we could laugh about the absurdity of plots such as Tootsie’s. Today, caricatures of femininity are supposed to be taken seriously, even reverently.
A woman is defined as “an adult human female.” The definition of a strong female role model ought to be simply an adult human female who excels in virtue or talent. Beauty, too, is worth admiring — though, on its own, it can do more harm than good. Few would doubt Kim Kardashian is a beautiful woman, for instance, but she has hardly been a virtuous influence.
The Wall Street Journal reports on a poll showing that unprecedented numbers of young people are rejecting traditional values that give life its purpose and inspire human flourishing. Instead, it seems, they’re choosing self-destructive narcissism and ephemeral validation, such as the kind found on social media. When you look at who today passes as a role model, can you really be surprised?