Hello trans women and men comrades of thjs site what does the shark mean.
Can I ask you to please be a little careful when writing so as to not accidentally erase nonbinary people?
When you say “hello trans women and men”, could you maybe instead say “hello trans people”, it’s not only simpler, but it’s also more inclusive, since it allows for the possibility that someone reading your comment might be neither a woman nor a man. (Like me, I’m neither)
As for why the ikea shark, I think sodium_nitride explains it perfectly, I’ve got nothing to add! I have a blahaj, they’re cute and goofy, easy to come by, and a little larger than your average plushy, in my experience, which makes them quite nice to cuddle
Oh sorry for the language! I understand better now thank you.
Hell yeah!
Would you mind changing the wording in your post please? Posts are pretty easy to edit
Thanks!
I edited it now is it better? Also i apologize for my rudeness i never met or talked to people of marginilized gender and non conforming to social constructs of society but im willing to learn alot ofc because right now i live in a very religious law country but it will help me when i meet comrades when i leave to be respectful and see them as they are.
It’s perfect now, thanks for editing, and for being willing to learn!
No real need to apologize, but I appreciate it nonetheless!
IKEA toy popular amongst transfemmes for some reason : blahaj
Toy -> meme -> cultural impact
My theory on why blahaj became like this?
- Cute
- Cuddly
- “Girly” (easy part of femininity to explore as femininity is considered soft and plushes are associated with it)
- It’s long slender shape makes it easy to fit between your boobs and comfy
- IKEA is a big global chain store so easy to get the blahaj
- Not many parents are going to look at the blahaj and clock you from that.
- Sharks are fucking derpy as hell
Cute like our comrades are i understand better now
you can also get bootlegs from temu and aliexpress in other sizes and colors
i have a big purple one and a little pink one that my fiancée gave me :D
Not trans but I always thought it was because the blahaj colours are trans flag coloured
I just noticed that. What the hell …
Not only transfems 🚫
I didn’t want to make assumptions cause I know little about the others
the shark has sharp teeth, and with it inshallah our enemies will bleed
It is a just a sweet creature and silly little guy also trans flag colored
This is such a chill thread. I really appreciate your curiosity and receptivity to corrections. Some people get really bent out of shape when asked to use more inclusive language and its nice to see someone adjust so graciously.
Regarding the shark…
Some more… aggresively radical groups within the trans advocacy sphere oppose the shark and its association with the trans community. It came up in an interview with a representative for Bash Back where it was described as a sign of the commodification of the trans identity.
While it seems a bit silly to get upset over this, there is a very real fear of the trans experience becoming commodified or standardized. The experience of discovering one’s transness and then acting upon it is deeply personal, with no two people having the same story to tell. To some being trans even holds spiritual signifigance, I for one never entertained the idea of a connection to a higher power before I accepted the blessing that is my transgender identity. The idea that this aspect of my being could be made into a mere consumer identity horrifies myself as well as others. There are also anti-consumerists who reject the shark on principle, seeing it as a wildly successful viral marketing campaign.
I personally have a shark, a friend got it for me some years ago. Ive been meaning to re-stuff it since hes been looking awfully lumpy as of recent.
Identifying with consumer brands is silly no matter what reason or what brand. I see this happen with other communities as well (cough cough monster energy).
Interesting read it seems trans and other marginalized folk based on identity have their struggles really developped in terms of theory and complexity in the english speaking world. But I’m aware that the opression is still there and the rights are either tokenized by liberals as ammunition for elections or threatened by the conservative and reactionary wing of capitalist parties of the west.
Sadly it’s not the case in the arab speaking world so a lot of them are either hiding or if lucky leave on a work visa or stydy visa to some other contry for asylum they usualy assume you are lying ( from political repression to indentity based oprrssion clan violence and sectarian and gang violence etc etc its also almost impossible to ask for asylum if you are from a western backed dictatorship they prefer people whom stories they can use and tokenize).
Though it’s interesting to learn and grow and loose aspects of my reactionary upbringing for what isnt Marxism-Leninism but a continuous learning and a science of progress.
Personaly i think the shark is cute and if it makes the trans person comfy, happy and smile then they should have their comfort plushy friend. One day aftrr the revolution we would have worker state owned on demand plushy factories for the comrades!!!
