How’s that again?

Cosmology grad student issues statement of support for trans women.

Trans women are women. Period. As a cis woman, I promise I will not leave you out, ever. Keep being fabulous

With three tiny dancing laydee emojis which become enormous when copied here.

Let’s think about this. I was going to talk about the words and the thread that ensued but first let’s talk about this “keep being fabulous” and that emoji – coming from a woman talking to men who Identify As women. What is that?

Why, I mean, is an actual woman equating being-a-woman with keeping being fabulous and being a blonde laydee with big hair dancing in a red dress?

Why isn’t she for instance equating being-a-woman with being in a lab coat with short practical hair looking into a telescope? Why does an actual woman think “woman”=blonde laydee with big hair dancing in a red dress? What is that?

It’s as if there are actual, boring, real-life, dull normal, “cis” women who can be dressed any old how and doing any old job you can think of, but trans women are special magical fairy-dust Beautiful Laydeez in red dresses dancing the night away.

Well, why? Why does a cosmology grad student see that as the way to pledge her allegiance to the womanitude of trans women?

I don’t suppose she intended it, but it looks like buying into the trope that trans women are the ones who do womaning the right way, the ones who are more womany than “cis” women because they don’t take being womany for granted but instead perform it every minute of every day.

What it thus can’t escape also doing is buying into the trope that “cis” women are inferior to trans women because we take it for granted and don’t perform it, with a few gorgeous exceptions like the Kardashians.

It’s a bit like telling Rachel Dolezal to keep being fabulous with a row of basketball player emojis.