Chicago – Princess Jezebel is calling attention to the way language rooted in trans, queer and ballroom culture has been absorbed into mainstream entertainment and online culture, even as trans people continue to be demonised and marginalised.
Terms including “serving”, “it’s giving”, “spill the tea”, “clocking the tea”, “cunty”, “doll” and “diva” now sit comfortably within everyday youth and internet culture. For Jezebel, the contradiction is difficult to ignore: language shaped within Black and Latino queer, drag and ballroom communities, with trans women central to that culture, is now routinely used for cultural capital by a mainstream that has historically portrayed trans people as dangerous, deviant or disposable.
“As a trans child, I remember watching The Silence of the Lambs with my brothers and sisters when I was 12 and seeing Buffalo Bill presented through the imagery of gender transition as a murderous predator,” said Jezebel. “I grew up in a media culture that taught audiences to fear people like me, and now I live in a world where that same culture hijacks our language for cultural capital. There is an extraordinary contradiction in celebrating what trans people create while continuing to demonise trans people themselves.”’
Jezebel sees a clear historical parallel in Madonna’s 1990 single “Vogue,” which brought ballroom culture to a mass audience after it had been developed within predominantly Black and Latino LGBTQ+ communities. She argues that its mainstream success reflected a pattern that continues today: trans and queer culture can be adopted, repackaged and commercialised without adequately centring the creators and originators who developed it, even while those communities remain marginalised.
A London-based professional dominatrix and founder of a community for trans and non-binary BDSM professionals across the UK and Ireland, Jezebel offers first-hand commentary on trans identity, media, culture and life in modern Britain. Find and follow Princess Jezebel at TransPrincessJezebel.com.
Find and follow Princess Jezebel at TransPrincessJezebel.com
https://www.instagram.com/transprincessjezebel
ABOUT PRINCESS JEZEBEL:
Princess Jezebel is a London-based professional dominatrix, psychological sadist and expert humiliatrix known for her high-protocol approach to domination and complex psychological play. A mischievous, playful and unapologetically demanding trans woman, she creates bespoke experiences for each submissive, combining verbal humiliation, discipline and psychological control with a deep understanding of power exchange.
Her work has appeared in Darkside, Archer, AIP Daily and Cracked Magazine. Before becoming a full-time professional dominatrix, Jezebel worked in the touring sector of the music industry, bringing its discipline, creativity and attention to detail into every aspect of her practice.
A pansexual music lover and audiophile, she is also an outspoken voice on the realities of living and working as a transgender woman in the UK. She founded a community for trans and non-binary BDSM professionals working across the UK and Ireland and offers thoughtful commentary on identity, fetishization and the evolving BDSM landscape. To learn more about Princess Jezebel, TransPrincessJezebel.com.