The transgender community has always been a part of Hawaiian society, where people who don't conform to the binary system of man/woman, masculine/feminine are accepted or, at minimum, tolerated.
Janet MockRead
'Pretty' is most often synonymous with being thin, white, able-bodied, and cis, and the closer you are to those ideals, the more often you will be labeled pretty - and benefit from that prettiness.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote critiques societal standards of beauty that privilege certain physical attributes over others.
Janet Mock's quote highlights the restrictive and often harmful beauty standards that define 'pretty' based on race, body type, ability, and gender identity. It emphasizes how those who conform to these narrow ideals enjoy societal benefits, suggesting a need for broader, more inclusive definitions of beauty that embrace diversity and reject discrimination.
Themes
BeautyStandardsDiversitySocietyIdentity
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about societal beauty norms during a panel on body positivity.
More from Janet Mock
All quotes →When you hear anyone policing the bodies of trans women, misgendering and othering us, and violently exiling us from spaces, you should not dismiss it as a trans issue that trans women should speak out against. You should be engaged in the dialogue, discourse, and activism that challenges the very fibers of your movement.
Janet MockRead
I am a trans woman. My sisters are trans women. We are not secrets. We are not shameful. We are worthy of respect, desire, and love. As there are many kinds of women, there are many kinds of men, and many men desire many kinds of women, trans women are amongst these women. And let’s be clear: Trans women are women.
Janet MockRead
Because trans people are marked as artificial, unnatural, and illegitimate, our bodies and identities are often open to public dissection. Plainly, cisgender folks often take it as their duty to investigate our lives to see if we're real.
Janet MockRead
Media gatekeepers - editors, publishers, film studios and the like - need to begin investing in talent behind the scenes, developing and resourcing marginalized voices to tell their own stories. At the end of the day, it's about the story and what will enable the audience to truly see, understand, and know the life and times of the subject.
Janet MockRead
Self-definition and self-determination is about the many varied decisions that we make to compose and journey toward ourselves, about the audacity and strength to proclaim, create, and evolve into who we know ourselves to be. It’s okay if your personal definition is in a constant state of flux as you navigate the world.
Janet MockRead
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