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Original poster

Male actor comes out as trans, now referred to as an actress…

59 replies

EastWestWhosBest · 23/07/2021 16:07

when I thought the word actress was quietly being dropped.

The BBC has been referring to female actors as, well, actors but now Tommy here is female the word actress is used again.

13 Reasons Why star Tommy Dorfman comes out as transgender www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-57940888

OP posts:
DdraigGoch · 23/07/2021 22:31

@NiceGerbil

Agree the term actress has been in decline for ages.

Female actors feel the term kind of has a very different flavour to actor and I think it's a fair point.

Loads of jobs have no longer got the it's a man/ woman indicators in general.

I don't really understand what removing the "ess" from a job title really does. Obviously there is a large sex pay gap in the field but is changing the job title to the masculine default really going to change that?

In many other sectors, a different title altogether has been adopted (at least in theory, even if the traditional terms are still used in practice by the public). Waiter/waitress has become server, waiting staff or similar. Steward/stewardess has become flight attendant.

Halfwaytoholiday · 23/07/2021 22:10

I do feel sad to read their marriage has ended over this.
They always end in a nice, respectful way dont they, not the screaming matches regular (non famous) people's relationships end in!

Didactylos · 23/07/2021 22:01

An actor. On so many levels

NiceGerbil · 23/07/2021 20:27

Agree the term actress has been in decline for ages.

Female actors feel the term kind of has a very different flavour to actor and I think it's a fair point.

Loads of jobs have no longer got the it's a man/ woman indicators in general.

Original poster
EastWestWhosBest · 23/07/2021 20:16

The thing is I don’t know who this person is or care about their gender of choice.

What I found odd is the use of actress when I have noticed it being used less in recent years.

OP posts:
EarthSight · 23/07/2021 20:00

Three things that are a bit odd -

The pose with the dog
The very short dress. It's hot at the moment so fair enough, but if a hostess answered the door in thst I'd be going Hmm
This sentence - "I'm thinking about how I can infuse my trans body into film and television", she said.

Kind of an odd thing to say. Why not just say something ' I'm looking forward to playing female roles' or something? Why is there talk of infusing one's body places??

NiceGerbil · 23/07/2021 19:53

Can I say

That for many actresses esp young, the attention from pics with eg breasts visible is an understandle route to go down.

However many actresses have regretted it when older as they felt it led to typecasting, was somewhat exploitative, and also can cause difficulties when you get older as once you're firmly in the section, good for playing attractive young woman, it makes it harder to be considered when you get older.

I think 30ish is the usual cutoff in Hollywood for eg.

There's also the point many actresses have raised, ones who have gone down that route themselves. That later they feel they contributed to a situation where young actresses are pushed into this sort of thing as they are told it will raise their profile etc.

I have no idea of the plans this actress has, I'm speaking in general. Stacks of older actresses have commented at length about all this so I think it's reasonable to raise.

SupermanWithTheGreyHair · 23/07/2021 19:43

I got deleted too. Can’t say much at all about this subject it seems. Someone’s obviously ploughing through any threads and reporting everything. Hmm Hi 👋

Holothane · 23/07/2021 19:33

Getting I don’t care. I’m just not interested.

NiceGerbil · 23/07/2021 19:32

I got deleted!

Eh?

Imagine I will again as I hadn't noticed.

Hello monitors! Why is a woman commenting on the obvious a problem?!

NiceGerbil · 23/07/2021 19:31

The see through top and hostess shit really grinds my gears.

We're told it's not anything to do with performing aspects of feminity... So WHY is it nearly always look tits and I'm a sexy lady and I love xy or z activity where I get to pick a stereotyped behaviour that appeals...

GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman · 23/07/2021 19:18

@FemaleAndLearning

Who is he?
My thoughts exactly.
ArtemesiaK · 23/07/2021 19:03

'Lockdown isolation helped me come out as LGBT'
Sorry, don't get it. What's the LGB got to do with anything?....

NiceGerbil · 23/07/2021 18:43

This reply has been deleted

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ChristmasShearwater · 23/07/2021 18:40

I prefer actress as did the late Helen McCrory.

Pudmyboy · 23/07/2021 18:33

At least they referred to themselves as a trans woman, rather than a woman, and did say they had had surgery (though I am not holding my breath for it to be more than a boob job)

FemaleAndLearning · 23/07/2021 18:29

Who is he?

Imnobody4 · 23/07/2021 18:19

"I'm thinking about how I can infuse my trans body into film and television", she said."
What?

Annasgirl · 23/07/2021 18:16

@EyesOpening

Will we see Tommy as Daniel Radcliffe’s love interest soon, I wonder?
Grin
PronounssheRa · 23/07/2021 18:12

Another gay men transitioning. That is quite sad, why don't gay men feel like they can be themselves anymore.

FloralBunting · 23/07/2021 18:09

This reply has been deleted

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EyesOpening · 23/07/2021 18:07

Will we see Tommy as Daniel Radcliffe’s love interest soon, I wonder?

IvyTwines2 · 23/07/2021 18:03

@EastWestWhosBest

Here we go. First example I could find “actor Tuppence Middleton”.
Though on her Twitter bio she uses 'actress'. I've seen the Guardian change actresses' preferred term to 'actor' too - not very respectful, BBC and Guardian!
markmichelle · 23/07/2021 17:46

FWIW
I did hear one of the women of the Judy Dench generation give an emphatic explanation of why she likes to be called actress. Claiming that her reactions to a situation as she interprets might well be different to another womans but not at all like a mans reaction. Therefore realistic and proud of the difference between male and female.

Lonel · 23/07/2021 17:38

Tommy is "excited" to be playing women's roles. Trans women, I hope. After all we have been told again and again that non-trans actors cannot play trans roles.