The upcoming Zoolander sequel has come under fire after a new trailer was released featuring an androgynous model played by Benedict Cumberbatch.
Critics are calling Cumberbatch's character, named 'All' in the film, a 'cartoonish mockery' of transgender, androgyne and non-binary individuals - and 'the modern equivalent of blackface'.
In the trailer, Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson are introduced to 'All', who has been dubbed the 'biggest supermodel in the world'.
'Are you like a male model or a female model?' Stiller's Derek Zoolander asks All.
'All is All', replies Cumberbatch, who dons a long wig.
Owen Wilson's character Hansel then attempts to get a more clear answer.
'What I think he's asking is do you have a hot dog or a bun?' he asks.
Cumberbatch giggles and then responds 'Oops,' putting a hand to his mouth in mock shyness.
An online petition urging a boycott against the film - which will be released in February - has since garnered nearly 8,000 signatures.
Petition author Sarah Rose writes in the protest's description: '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.'
'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.'
Pejic came out publicly as a transgender woman and underwent sex reassignment surgery in 2014 after years of walking major runway shows for both men and women's fashion as a male model.
Rose said the character All mocked transgender, androgyne and non-binary individuals. She encouraged people to sign the petition and pledge to boycott the film.
'By hiring a cis [non-transgender] actor to play a non-binary individual in a clearly negative way, the film endorses harmful and dangerous perceptions of the queer community at large,' she writes.
'By hiring a cis [non-transgender] actor to play a non-binary individual in a clearly negative way, the film endorses harmful and dangerous perceptions of the queer community at large,' she writes.
This is a good point. To bad everyone is going to dismiss it as SJW ******** like they always do instead of looking at the real issue.
The world isn't going to stop because some people view something as offensive. We're not where we are today because people were polite. People of all backgrounds get mocked, over-exaggerated and portrayed.
The world isn't going to stop because some people view something as offensive. We're not where we are today because people were polite. People of all backgrounds get mocked, over-exaggerated and portrayed.
I agree about the point that they got a cisgender actor to do this role, but I'm trans and I thought this was funny. And it's not meant to be an accurate portrayal of typical non-binary people, but it is an accurate portrayal of androgynous models. I suppose my opinion isn't completely valid because I'm not non-binary, but I feel like this is a tad bit of an overreaction. From the trailer there's really nothing offensive but I guess we'll have to see how they portray this character in the film.
Mess. Its a comedy. Its supposed to make a mockery of everyone. Having a trans character should be rewarding enough. Sheesh. No guy in this world is as stupid as Ben Stiller's character. If there was, there might just as well be a trans who's like Cumberbatch out there, you'll never know. Enjoy it or don't watch it I guess.
I had no idea.