Shortly after the release of the “Zoolander 2” trailer, many people were quick to critique Benedict Cumberbatch’s character, a gender nonconforming supermodel named All. So much so that a petition, which garnered over 12,000 signatures, was created to boycott the film for being transphobic, and Sara Pascoe wrote a piece for The Guardian titled “Zoolander 2 isn’t just bad for trans people – it’s a step backwards for us all.” In the two minute clip, All is only featured for a couple of seconds, when Owen Wilson’s character Hans asks him, “…Do you have a hot dog or a bun?” a crude and unnecessary joke of which trans people are the butt.
In the past year, visibility for trans and gender nonconforming individuals has increased dramatically in the fashion industry — this isn’t to say it’s without its flaws, but it finally seemed as though an industry that revolves around the physical and conventional beauty ideals was opening up its doors just a little bit more to everyone. Hari Nef knows this firsthand. As a model and actress, Hari’s walked the runway for brands like Hood By Air and Eckhaus Latta and most recently, landed a role on the Amazon series “Transparent.” She’s also a trans woman and knows that opportunities like these are growing but still rare for women like her. We talked to Hari about the “Zoolander 2” trailer and her thoughts about having a character like this in a sure-to-be blockbuster film — and how people can get the trans experience right in the media.
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