Page 5 | "protect the dolls" - what is this?

Brefugee · 2025-04-23T19:37:14+00:00

as the thread title says. I have seen this a few times now, but am none the wiser.

SnoopyPajamas · 23/04/2025 22:41

I thought this was drag queen speak for "protect trans women". I've seen it a few times recently, all after the Supreme Court ruling, and I assumed that was what it meant.

Ereshkigalangcleg · 23/04/2025 22:25

LonginesPrime · 23/04/2025 20:58

Also, it’s such a useless slogan as it only works on people who (1) believe in regressive gender stereotypes, (2) are men over 50 who fondly remember when women were referred to as dolls (and probably felt they were missing out on being objectified) and (3) are prepared to pretend they see TW as delicate fragile little women even though most of the group in (2) above are fully-grown, middle-aged men.

The juxtaposition of such a hyper-feminine descriptor and the big burly blokes it’s referring to mean it will never catch on as its comic value is too much of a distraction.

It serves to make the opposite point to the one they want to make, but the men who came up with this have so little self-awareness and are so desperate to mandate that everyone else views them as hyper-feminine that they can’t see that.

Perfectly put <chef’s kiss>

PachacutisBadAuntie · 23/04/2025 21:22

Howyoualldoworkme · 23/04/2025 20:45

I read recently on X that it means an attractive transwoman who 'passes'
Why they need protecting I've no idea 🙄
I'm sure they'd still have that 'uncanny valley' vibe.

Like a lot of dolls do... Do they realise there's more than one interpretation?

IllustratedDictionaryOfTheDoldrums · 23/04/2025 21:13

I hate to horrify people further but there is also relatively common 'doll' fetish. It tends to involve latex, fake masks, fake boobs etc. Anyone who's been on Feeld (kink/non monogamy) dating site is likely to have come across some of these guys.

IllustratedDictionaryOfTheDoldrums · 23/04/2025 21:11

It's supposedly slang for trans women. As always, the idea of women being dolls is pretty infantilising and sexist. Same old misogynistic nonsense. I don't know how people don't see it. It's glaringly obvious.

LonginesPrime · 23/04/2025 20:58

Also, it’s such a useless slogan as it only works on people who (1) believe in regressive gender stereotypes, (2) are men over 50 who fondly remember when women were referred to as dolls (and probably felt they were missing out on being objectified) and (3) are prepared to pretend they see TW as delicate fragile little women even though most of the group in (2) above are fully-grown, middle-aged men.

The juxtaposition of such a hyper-feminine descriptor and the big burly blokes it’s referring to mean it will never catch on as its comic value is too much of a distraction.

It serves to make the opposite point to the one they want to make, but the men who came up with this have so little self-awareness and are so desperate to mandate that everyone else views them as hyper-feminine that they can’t see that.

ArtemisiaTheArtist · 23/04/2025 20:56

In South London Cockney slang an attractive woman is a "sausage". Sausage= sausage roll = doll.

Mildly sexist but there you go.

Enough4me · 23/04/2025 20:54

Dolls are supposed to be attractive but actually are plastic with weird body proportions and often creepy frozen faces?

TheCatsTongue · 23/04/2025 20:52

gamerchick · 23/04/2025 20:39

Pedro Pascal wore a tee recently with it on or something in support of trans women.

His brother is now a trans woman, that's why he keeps going on about it.

MixTapeMel · 23/04/2025 20:48

https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/conner-ives-protect-the-dolls-t-shirt

“Protect the Dolls,” a slogan meant to demonstrate solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community, specifically with trans women, who are affectionally called “dolls.”

The story behind the viral ‘Protect The Dolls’ tee you keep seeing everywhere

An important message now more than ever.

https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/conner-ives-protect-the-dolls-t-shirt

LonginesPrime · 23/04/2025 20:48

I saw a video of some random person being interviewed at the protests who said there was a group of transmen there calling themselves “Boys with Dolls” there, which I took to mean transmen standing in solidarity with transwomen (even though transwomen are going round throwing transmen under the bus at every opportunity by trying to tell women why we don’t want transmen near us and how scary and gross they apparently are..).

Howyoualldoworkme · 23/04/2025 20:45

I read recently on X that it means an attractive transwoman who 'passes'
Why they need protecting I've no idea 🙄
I'm sure they'd still have that 'uncanny valley' vibe.

CrossPurposes · 23/04/2025 20:43

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protect_the_Dolls

Definitely a thing worthy of a Wikipedia page 🙃😤

Protect the Dolls - Wikipedia

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protect_the_Dolls

Original poster

Brefugee · 23/04/2025 20:40

oh thanks. I had wondered by JKR had some creepy dolls as her Twix background

OP posts:

gamerchick · 23/04/2025 20:39

Pedro Pascal wore a tee recently with it on or something in support of trans women.

sprigatito · 23/04/2025 20:38

I am also wondering about this!

IamAporcupine · 23/04/2025 20:38

I've just seen it too, and no idea either!