If you have ever seen the 2001 movie Zoolander, then you are well aware it’s a comedy written and directed by actor Ben Stiller – who also happens to play the male lead in the film. Zoolander is nothing more than a hilarious satire portraying (male) models as vapid, conceited, and intellectually challenged in an industry that encompasses the same self-absorbed superficial qualities and beliefs. Fashionistas didn't take issue with the movie -- fashion designers Tom Ford and Tommy Hilfiger, and models Heidi Klum, Fabio, and Tyson Beckford even made cameos in the film.
Nearly 15 years later, with political correctness on the rise, a sequel set to be released in February 2016 and is facing backlash and a boycott by a group that is unhappy with the representation of a particular character in the film. Who is this particular character, you might ask? Well, it’s a model -- a long-haired androgynous model played by British actor Benedict Cumberbatch.
Their issue in particular takes place in a rather hilarious exchange shown in a newly released trailer; the androgynous model is introduced to Stiller’s character as “All,” to which Stiller asks, “are you like, a male model or a female model?” to which Cumberbatch’s character replies, “All is All.” Owen Wilson, who plays airheaded model “Hansel” tries to explain to “All,” “I think he’s asking is do you have a hot dog or a bun?”
It seems humorous and believable enough, given the gender-bending of the modeling industry, but we live in an era where almost everyone takes offense to just about everything, so it should come as no surprise that LGBTQ activists went on the offensive and started a petition calling for the boycott of the film. Sarah Rose, creator of the petition, writes:
“In the Zoolander 2 trailer, an androgynous character played by Benedict Cumberbatch is asked by Zoolander and Hansel if he is a ‘male or female model’, and if they ‘have a hot dog or a bun’. Additionally, Cumberbatch’s character is clearly portrayed as an over-the-top, cartoonish mockery of androgyne/trans/non-binary individuals. This is the modern equivalent of using blackface to represent a minority…”
Oh no, she did not just say that! But she did… and more:
“If the producers and screenwriters of Zoolander wanted to provide social commentary on the presence of trans/androgyne individuals in the fashion industry, they could have approached models like Andreja Pejic to be in the film. By hiring a cis actor to play a non-binary individual in a clearly negative way, they film endorses harmful and dangerous perceptions of the queer community at large.”
It's a fascinating turn since Cumberbatch was hailed for playing closeted gay World War II code-breaking hero Alan Turing in The Imitation Game.
I've never heard of "androgyne/trans/non-binary individuals," but to actually compare this to modern-day "blackface” is grotesque. Rose is basically accusing Stiller and company as being “bigoted,” which sadly is the accusation these days when someone displays a sense of humor about "gender fluidity."
Last month I wrote a story about the movie Tomboy and how GLAAD was up in arms over the fact a hitman turned hitwoman who sets out for revenge after being double-crossed by gangsters. GLAAD released a statement saying it was "disappointing to see filmmakers turning what is a life-saving medical procedure for transgender people into a sensationalistic plot device."
It appears you can't win with these groups. If you put trans characters in movies or television shows, they don't like how they are portrayed and (you) are seen as bigoted, but if you don't put trans characters in a film or show (in order to avoid such accusations) you are still seen as bigoted.
Rose and others should lighten up and enjoy movies for what they are -- entertainment. The characters in Zoolander 2 are satirical representations -- over-the-top depictions that no individual or group is immune to, including the trans community. Zoolander 2 is an equal opportunity offender, and it includes "all."
