The New Merperson Emoji is Wearing a Breast Binder

[Ladyfat]

The new “gender neutral” merperson emoji that arrived with Apple’s iOS13.2 is wearing a breast binder.

Is the rejection and suppression of the biological female body really something that needed representation?

No of course it isn’t!

wtf

binders can permanently disfigure breast tissue and restrict breathing. Not cute.

Give them a break. It must be nigh on impossible for a mythical creature to find someone who’ll agree to perform top surgery on them...

I wrote about it a bit on my blog here: radfemrebecca.com/2019/11/04/merperson-emoji-binder

And whilst doing so found a 2016 study that showed: “Over 97% reported at least one of 28 negative outcomes attributed to binding.”

97%!
I really don’t feel this is a harmless little trend that needs infantilising, it’s normalising a dysphoric internalised misogyny.

Haha @Shesaidwhay they just haven’t mentioned enough clownfish!

So they had a masculine looking merperson and, presumably to improve their inclusiveness, they now have a more feminine looking merperson wearing a crop top, cos women's chests are offensive whereas men's are just manly.

Or have I, woman on the street who knows fuck all about Mermaids, made a mistake when I saw the new mermaid emoji now available tand wondered what fucking motion is that bloody thing suposed to be?

Oh no it’s better than that @curiousaboutsamphire . There is a mermaid with a bra/seashells cause even mythological beings need lingerie, a merman with a bare chest because there is no shame in man nipples and a merperson who wears a binder.

Oh! So they are just mermaids and mermen then?

Happy days!

How do merpeople manufacture cloth under the sea and then make the tools to sew it into a binder? This needs an explanation.

Oops I forgot the pictures!
You’ll note merperson has a thicker waist too because obviously nothing but the most elegantly contoured body is truly feminine... or maybe testosterone is cheap under the sea, who knows?!

I’m unsure @Driechdrizzle but I bet it’s funded by Patreon or a small campaign on crowdfunder selling rainbow seashells... just saying.

And they have no belly button!

And have you noticed the smile on the trans ones? Her mouth is a little bit bigger but the curve is bigger on theirs. So being trans / NB makes you happier?

Non binary neutrality = flat chest, either male or binder-enforced.

That looks a lot like male as default to me.

I’d have just assumed the merperson was wearing a blue vest without being told otherwise.
Is it officially a binder?

No one has yet been able to explain to be why non binary always seems to involve presenting as male and hiding breasts.

I have never seen a breast binder and never want to, I can't begin to imagine what would drive someone to wear one.

If I saw that without coming to this thread I would just think it's a mermaid with a crop top, so a mermaid who is into sports and trendy. So to all those people out there who are cheering this and think it's a win, it really isn't because I have a feeling most people will think crop/sports top.

(Excuse if i come across as being ignorant)
Has it actually been officially labelled a breast binder?
I've seen plenty of chaps at the gym, with pecs (that do look a bit like boobs sometimes) with tight vest tops on so I wouldn't probably be able to tell the difference, hence the query about official labelling.

Yes it’s officially a binder .

At least the shell bra looks relatively comfy. Binder merperson seems to be accurately reflecting the fact that the gender roles under the new and improved system have somehow managed to be even more uncomfortable and restrictive than the previous ones.

@BeMoreMagdalen like a lot of “gender neutral” baby clothes - traditionally not clothes in biscuitty colours

That was supposed to say “boy clothes”

Oh yes @TheProdigalKittensReturn so many seem in denial that even the vaguest attempt at “non-binary” reinforces a binary ...

Imagine swimming around under the sea and crying because your binder had dislocated your shoulders. Not fun. Her/their/his/xir* hands would probably be too numb to hold her/their/his/xir trident too.

*we don't know how this merperson identifies

No, stop!

I embrace non binary (though we used to call it gender bending). To do so I recognise the binary. Which means I can't be non binary cos I would have to knowingly reinforce it to work against it, to be able to identify what I was doing to reject it.

Bugger that. I shall remain my used to be gender bending but grew out of it self, thanks!

I’m all for defying stereotypes but I feel passionately against breast binders being normalised!

It’s a concerted insidious encouragement of misogyny.