Transgender culture, as a niche culture, is now often used by creators to design transgender characters to appear in TV shows and video games. This is something that has led a very large number of viewers and gamers to have some knowledge and understanding of transgender culture in an entertaining way. As cultural products, TV series and games are sometimes seen as important mediums for shaping social perceptions and values. The positive presentation of transgender characters can cause deep reflection on gender perceptions in society and help to promote social acceptance and understanding.

The first time I knew about Euphoria was through a challenge on TikTok for Euphoria’s makeup parody. Euphoria marks a new era of transgender representation, an era defined by “cool,” the understanding and popularity of transgender aesthetics (Macintosh, 2022). The show features a transgender actor, Hunter Schafer, as Jules, the transgender character in the show, and because of her performance, many viewers have expressed their desire to learn more about transgender culture. It has to be denied that Jules not only resonates with people but also symbolises a step in the right direction for transgender representation in film and television (Arrey, 2023). Throughout the play, Jules often changes her eye make-up to different ones, invariably full of exaggeration and individuality with shimmering colours, and she displays her genuine character with every smile. The strong visual impact of the lighting is also a great feature of the show, but at the same time, Jules’ relationship with the characters cannot be ignored. Interestingly, many viewers said that Jules’ relationship with Rue (one of the main characters) was what they were most looking forward to seeing, whether it was friendship or love, they were each other’s salvation and hope. I think this is a result of the characters being very well rounded.

Transgender culture is also spread in video games, for example, Catalyst is the first hero in Apex Legends to appear as a transgender person. It is reported that this character was co-developed by Respawn in close collaboration with transgender staff within the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) (Chung, 2023). This also shows that the game’s characters are simply set up to meet the needs of different players and are not coloured in any way; it is the people who wear the coloured glasses, not the game itself.

We cannot forget that society is so strict and conservative that people from different countries are still full of stereotypes about different cultures. For example, before Transparent was aired, there was some controversy over the choice of a male actor to play a transgender woman (Kyriacou, 2021).

At the end, the transgender character design is based on the influence of the TV show and video game, which expands the perception of gender and promotes a more inclusive and diverse society. It allows players from different backgrounds to gain some knowledge and understanding of other cultures.

Author : Xinyu Ge

Idea base on Week 5.‘Trans TV’: The potentials and challenges of representation on New Digital Platforms

Bibliography

Arrey, T. (2023) Hunter Schafer speaks to students about ‘magic’ of transgender representation, CSUF News. Available at: https://news.fullerton.edu/2023/04/hunter-schafer-speaks-to-students-about-magic-of-transgender-representation/ (Accessed: 29 November 2023).

Chung, S. (2023) How respawn created catalyst and championed inclusivity in Apex Legends, IGN. Available at: https://www.ign.com/articles/how-respawn-created-catalyst-and-championed-inclusivity-in-apex-legends (Accessed: 29 November 2023).

Kyriacou, A. (2021) Review: ‘transparent’ – the true transgender tipping point?, PinkNews. Available at: https://www.thepinknews.com/2014/09/25/review-transparent-the-true-transgender-tipping-point/ (Accessed: 29 November 2023).

Macintosh, P. (2022) ‘Transgressive TV: euphoria, HBO, and a new Trans Aesthetic’, Global Storytelling: Journal of Digital and Moving Images, 2(1). doi:10.3998/gs.1550.