Trigger warning: transphobia, transmisogyny, violence, assault
American Reflexxx is a short film and social experiment where performer Signe Pierce is wearing a revealing dress, high heel shoes, and a mirrored mask while walking through Myrtle Beach. The camera-person agreed not to communicate with Pierce until they are done filming. The film is hard to watch because of the violence and the glitch-style editing which emphasizes the feelings of chaos throughout the film. I think, however, this is important to study because it shows gender politics on the streets and reminds the viewer that transgender people experience an overwhelming amount of violence, especially if they present themselves as female. In the National Street Harassment Report, which I wrote about previously, it mentions the intersectionality of people who experience street harassment. Women experience it more than men, Women of color experience it more than white women, and members of the LGBTA community experience it more than cis-gendered/heterosexual people.
In the film, Pierce is constantly objectified and attention is drawn towards their sexuality. People literally treat them like a prop by stopping them and taking photos next to them. The crowd that forms and follows them is constantly taking video and photos of them. I think the instinct to take videos and photos is pornographic and dehumanizing, as members of the crowd watch Pierce for entertainment. The camera screens separate the members of the crowd and Pierce, who is the subject, creating a detachment. Perhaps media depictions of objectified and sexualized female bodies desensitizes people to violence against them. Women are often also reduced to body parts, so the mask that Pierce wears removes their humanity and reduces them to an object. The crowd is fully aware of the camera following Pierce, and I think the presence of a camera also evokes the crowd to act out because they can assume the camera-person carries the same transphobic attitudes as them. This is a reminder that people will perceive you as an oppressor unless you explicitly state your allyship and stand against violence.
It is interesting to note that the physical violence towards Pierce is carried out only by women. A young white woman (or girl) runs up to Pierce and touches her as if she is playing a game of tag. A black woman throws a water bottle at Pierce's mask. A white woman pushes Pierce from behind, causing her to fall. I think this is because men already carry out acts of street harassment or have already asserted their dominance on the streets, therefore do not find this to be a unique opportunity to express their misogyny. Women, on the other hand, may find Pierce's seductive walk through Myrtle Beach to be a unique opportunity to play the role of the aggressor. In the National Street Harassment Report, they mention that street harassment leads to self-objectification, so perhaps these women are so used to the male-female dichotomy that they feel threatened by a trans individual. Whenever Pierce confronts the crowd in a masculine manner-- back straight and dominant gait-- the crowd becomes scared and runs away. This shows that people relate masculinity to dominance and aggression, and femininity to submission and vulnerability.
In the film, Pierce is constantly objectified and attention is drawn towards their sexuality. People literally treat them like a prop by stopping them and taking photos next to them. The crowd that forms and follows them is constantly taking video and photos of them. I think the instinct to take videos and photos is pornographic and dehumanizing, as members of the crowd watch Pierce for entertainment. The camera screens separate the members of the crowd and Pierce, who is the subject, creating a detachment. Perhaps media depictions of objectified and sexualized female bodies desensitizes people to violence against them. Women are often also reduced to body parts, so the mask that Pierce wears removes their humanity and reduces them to an object. The crowd is fully aware of the camera following Pierce, and I think the presence of a camera also evokes the crowd to act out because they can assume the camera-person carries the same transphobic attitudes as them. This is a reminder that people will perceive you as an oppressor unless you explicitly state your allyship and stand against violence.
It is interesting to note that the physical violence towards Pierce is carried out only by women. A young white woman (or girl) runs up to Pierce and touches her as if she is playing a game of tag. A black woman throws a water bottle at Pierce's mask. A white woman pushes Pierce from behind, causing her to fall. I think this is because men already carry out acts of street harassment or have already asserted their dominance on the streets, therefore do not find this to be a unique opportunity to express their misogyny. Women, on the other hand, may find Pierce's seductive walk through Myrtle Beach to be a unique opportunity to play the role of the aggressor. In the National Street Harassment Report, they mention that street harassment leads to self-objectification, so perhaps these women are so used to the male-female dichotomy that they feel threatened by a trans individual. Whenever Pierce confronts the crowd in a masculine manner-- back straight and dominant gait-- the crowd becomes scared and runs away. This shows that people relate masculinity to dominance and aggression, and femininity to submission and vulnerability.