Summary
This week, Cece Chow a.k.a @thetransplanter, shares what it was like to leave a lucrative career, come out as a trans woman, and become an advocate as someone who was previously assigned the role of the eldest male of the family. We talk about how Asian courtesy can get in the way of allyship, how Eurocentric beauty standards affect our self image, and how becoming a woman also meant experiencing misogyny for the first time.
GUEST BIO
Cece Chow is:
- A visual artist connecting people through plants.
- A filmmaker connecting people through story.
- A trans fashion model and advocate, creating positive QTPOC representation
Follow Cece: @thetransplanter Instagram | TikTok | kokedama.ca
TERMS DEFINED
- Gaslighting
- Body dysmorphia
- Transphobia & homophobia
- Intersectionality
- Third culture kids (TCKs)
- Patriarchy & misogyny
- Allyship
- Eurocentric
TAKEAWAYS
- You are not an ally until you perform acts of allyship for someone who needs an ally, whether it’s online, on the streets, at family gatherings.
- If you’re serious about being an ally, practice what you would do in those situations. Role play and prepare so you won’t freeze.
- Trans people aren’t changing who they are. They are no longer accepting to play roles assigned to them that go against who they’ve always known they were.
- Trans women face additional layers of danger and discrimination from men due to homophobia & transphobia.
- Bodies idolized by mainstream media often set unrealistic beauty standards, which can cause body dysmorphia. This is why representation matters
- Cultural context and intersectionality are crucial to understand. The experience of LGBTQIA+ Asian people can be very different from that of LGBTQIA+ white people.
- Third culture kids aren’t always a blend of cultures, but rather identify more with one or the other in different situations.
- Women are often given unsolicited opinions instead of solicited help.
Links:
Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | Blog
Hosts: Ariadne Mila & Sherry-Lynn Lee
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