Doll Takeover

After a meteoric rise in representation, the dolls are here to stay.

By Phoenix Simpson

When Devin Halbal aka Hal Baddie first said the three magic words, “doll check-in,” it echoed around the world. Filming a TikTok to check in with her followers, it garnered over 600,000 views, reaching beyond the trans community, to queer and non-queer youth alike. The video introduced the term “doll,” slang for describing a glamorous trans woman. In recent years, trans femmes seized the opportunity and gained a voice in mainstream media.

The term “doll” for a trans femme, originating from Black trans women in the Ballroom scene, has long been prevalent in queer culture. Ball culture began as an underground LGBTQ+ subculture, primarily among African American and Latinx communities in areas like New York City. It revolves around extravagant events known as balls, where participants, often referred to as “houses,” compete in various categories through dance, fashion, and performance.

A “doll” typically refers to an alluring trans woman who carries herself in a hyper-feminine manner and adheres to traditional gender norms. She loves dressing up, getting glammed, doing her hair, and looking flawless at all times. Like many slang terms, the definition of “doll” isn't rigid and varies depending on who you ask.

Student at the Fashion Institute of Technology and trans woman, Evelyn Hawk Pritchard, 19, says, “There’s a beautiful sense of community when using the term ‘doll’...I feel like no other word quite encapsulates it. It’s a celebration of the feminine and gorgeous, a low-profile way to relate to my other ‘doll’ friends on our shared experiences.”

Some claim it refers to trans women who have undergone plastic surgery, while others consider it more of a mindset and demeanor. The term evolves as a new generation of trans femmes define what it means to them. Although there is no exact definition, contrary to their Instagram captions, that friend group consisting entirely of gay men are not ‘the dolls.’

Dolls, the toys, have played a significant role in the childhoods of most girls, whether by choice or not. While baby dolls taught young girls the importance of motherhood at an early age, the introduction of Barbie in 1959 introduced a revolutionary vision of womanhood. Barbie epitomizes a hyper-feminine portrayal of what society considers the ideal woman, with her long blonde hair, extensive wardrobe, high-heeled feet, curvaceous figure, and a perfectly made-up face.

While feminists look back and debate if the classic Barbie was a win or loss for their cause, I was not concerned with any of this fodder as a little boy. As a proud trans woman myself, dolls granted a glimpse into womanhood that every aspect of society around me tried to bar me from. I create colorful visions of the woman I would become through playing with each toy. Even if I couldn’t step outside as the girl I craved to be, at home, I could live out my endless fantasies safely.

For fortunate trans women who were granted the opportunity to play with these dolls by more open-minded parents, it was an escape. One could embody the true identity they yearned for, even though they were unable to fully understand the complexities surrounding their feelings of being assigned the wrong gender. For other less privileged trans femmes, their dreams did not make it past the 'girl toys' aisles and were simply dragged past the aisle into their harsh realities.

Visibility for trans femme faces has drastically increased in the past few years. Trans women went from the margins of society to the forefront of pop culture, seemingly in the blink of an eye. While this rise appears to have happened overnight, it was a culmination of the long and strenuous efforts made by trans activists over decades.

Fashion, a longstanding safe haven for the queer community, was among the first industries to start welcoming trans women, with a surge in the mid to late 2010s. In the 1960s, the first trans models encountered challenges in sustaining their careers. Once they began gaining popularity, many were exposed as trans, swiftly ending their career. ​​With significant strides in trans rights and shifting mindsets, trans models like Teddy Quinlivan have shattered barriers, achieving historic firsts.

Now, one can’t open Vogue Runway without witnessing the trans takeover. Models like Alex Consani, Colin Jones, and Dalton Dubois have graced runways from Marc Jacobs to Balenciaga. Fashion campaigns have also felt the impact as models/entertainers, Arca and Dominique Jackson, represented the legendary fashion brand, Mugler. Model Aaron Rose Philip represented fashion giants like Moschino and Nike.

V Magazine’s Digital Managing Editor, FIT alum, and proud trans woman, Kevin Ponce, 27, recalls the shift she’s seen in the fashion industry. She expressed, “It's all being celebrated now, especially on the forefront. I feel like maybe not as much as it should be, but it's definitely in a much better place than it was 10, or 15 years ago.”

She adds, “It's been such a polarizing, complete shift of where we are currently in the fashion of how embracive we are of seeing someone like myself just at the forefront, whether it's on our cover, for V, another cover, on a runway show, or being interviewed or doing makeup backstage. It sort of trickles down into everything. Photography, styling, even the assistance.”

The film and television industry, once notorious for ridiculing trans individuals, has transformed its portrayal of trans women. This medium, which once predominantly portrayed trans people, primarily trans women, as morally depraved, deceitful, and laughable villains now highlights the rich stories trans femmes have to offer and the talent they bring to the table.

The first mainstream portrayal of trans femme women occurred in Netflix’s, Orange Is the New Black. In the hit series, Laverne Cox, a Black trans woman, powerfully represents the community through her supporting role.

Trans stories took center stage in 2018 with the show, Pose, which portrays the ball culture world of the 1980s. In this era of trans femme representation in Hollywood, BIPOC trans actors gained hard-to-come-by breakout roles. An example of this is Michaela Jay “MJ” Rodriguez, who became the first trans woman nominated for an Emmy. The importance of Pose cannot be understated as it provided a well-crafted portrayal of queer history to the masses and was the first of its kind to embrace representation on such a large scale.

A year later, Euphoria brought a modern perspective to tackling trans stories. Hunter Schafer gained her first role in the series by portraying the character, Jules, a trans high schooler navigating the highs and lows of being a transgender teen in the present day. While many trans stories of the past showed the difficulties of transitioning or trans history, Euphoria offered the first mainstream portrayal of a Gen Z trans experience that was rarely represented.

It has become a cliche for Gen Z trans women to credit Euphoria as the catalyst to begin transitioning. While I like to go against the flow, I am one of many impacted by seeing this powerful representation on screen. At age 16, I saw a trans character for the first time who was my age and it presented an option I didn’t know I had which launched a dialogue within myself.

In the music industry, trans femme artists have gained large followings and accolades through showcasing their talents. Hyperpop musicians/producers Arca and the late Sophie both carved space for themselves as trans women by revolutionizing a genre and gaining cult queer followings. In the alternative music space, Ethel Cain has rapidly gained fans over the past two years, which explores her trans identity and that relationship with her Christian, Southern background. Finally, in the ever-so-selective pop music world, Kim Petras has established an iconic pop career with over 27 million monthly listeners on Spotify, remaining proud and vocal about her trans identity.

When celebrating these well-deserved accomplishments of trans femmes, the importance of intersectionality must be recognized. In addition to their trans identity, BIPOC and disabled women face higher amounts of discrimination and violence than their white, able-bodied counterparts. It’s essential not only to uplift one type of trans femme but to include all to truly achieve impactful representation and progress.

This explosion of representation has a drastic impact on the trans femmes of Gen Z, Alpha, and those to come. Representation shifts the public perception of trans women by showcasing positive counternarratives to the conservative rhetoric. It demonstrates that this journey is possible and inspires action. Through positive, impactful representation trans women can finally be seen as just another human being, rather than an alienated identity.

“The rise of trans representation in the media has only given me more courage to embrace who I am,” says FIT student and trans woman, Tyler Philbrook, 18. “As a child, I certainly never saw any form of representation towards trans women unless it was negative…I think it is incredibly important for the media to keep spotlighting trans beauty in any form, because we have always existed, and will continue to do so until the end of time.”

Although undeniable progress has been, not everything may be as it initially seems. There are still numerous groups hellbent on attacking trans rights and removing queer media. Without positive and inclusive representation, the negative narrative wins. Thankfully, trans women aren’t backing down anytime soon. The world continues to move forward in spite of hate. This is a revolution that has been building for decades but the time is now to take over.

The dolls came, saw, and conquered the mainstream but aren’t stopping until the whole world is theirs.