from The Renaissance Transgender Association,
Inc.
Politicians and others who want to win public approval pay large sums
of money to media consultants to polish their image for television.
Regardless of what you may think about television's preference for
image over substance, and despite your feelings about maintaining
personal integrity in the face of the medium's demands, television is
a fact of life and its need must be recognized. The wise advocate
understands the medium and, whenever possible, conforms to the
"rules" of television to more effectively put forth his or her
message. Because television relies so heavily on the visual, most of
the following tips address specific concerns regarding appearance.
But the content of your message is also important, and this is
covered as well.
Colors
Patterns
Jewelry
Eyeglasses
Necklines
Gestures
Television has been called a "cool" medium. This means that
controlled movement comes across better than excessive animation. But
don't be so controlled that you could be mistaken for a corpse. If
the time is right for a broad gesture, make it. The director will
hopefully widen the shot to encompass it. And if your gestures are
distracting, the director should tighten up the shot to "edit" them
out.
One of the best ways to win support for your message is to project
warmth through the camera. The primary means is by your words, but
unspoken communications are also important. Chief among these is eye
contact with the person you are speaking with at that moment. This
can be either the host, another guest or a member of the audience.
Don't make a habit of obviously looking into the camera and away from
the person your are speaking to. Another "trick" is to visibly react
to what other guests are saying. If they tell a sad story, look
sympathetic. Laugh at their jokes (at least try to smile). The
director is always looking for "reaction shots," and these will go a
long way to establishing you as a warm human being. You never know
when the camera will be on you, so always be visibly involved with
what other people are saying.
When you are being severely attacked or challenged, whether by the
host, another guest or a member of the audience, you can bet that the
camera will be on you for a reaction shot. This is especially true if
the attacker is calling on the telephone. A television consultant for
four presidential candidates advises people under siege to smile a
little and shake their head from side to side, giving the gentle
impression that the speaker is deluded. But if you react too
strongly, you may look like the speaker has hit a nerve.
Naturalness is best; the appearance of naturalness is just as good.
Before you go on television, you should carefully examine your
feminine movements and poise. If they come to you naturally, you have
little to worry about. But if you are not yet comfortable with
feminine movements and gestures, you run two risks; either over
compensating with exaggerated feminine movements, or putting forth an
irregular and uneven performance. Either of these could signal the
audience that you are uncomfortable and nervous. Avoid fussing with
your hair or jewelry. This comes across as nervousness or vanity.
Cross your legs at the ankle and keep your knees together. A trick to
keep the camera from looking up your skirt is to sit slightly
sideways in the chair with your knees pointing off to one side. If
you change position, you can give a slight tug to the hem of your
skirt to straighten it, but don't fuss with it. This looks like you
are uncomfortable wearing a dress.
Camera angles
Unless you have rehearsed this with the director, don't try
to find and play to whichever camera is "ON." Always look at the
interviewer. If you try to follow the camera you may end up looking
off into space as far as the viewers at home are concerned.
But if you are certain that the camera in a certain position is going
to magnify your worst flaw, such as a bad profile, you can cheat a
little by looking slightly away from the interviewer and present a
little better angle to the camera. However, do this only when the
risk of looking silly outweighs the risk of looking ugly.
Appearing on camera crossdressed can give the distinct impression
that you wear women's clothes all or most of the time. Giving this
impression to the audience may be proper for transsexuals, but it
leads to mistakes about the nature of most forms of transvestism.
Even if the interviewer says that you crossdress "sometimes" or "on
occasion," mention the frequency of your crossdressing a couple of
times during the interview. Transvestites who use their feminine
names on the air may also imply that they lead their lives as women.
This misconception can be prevented by saying that you are "known" by
your femme name and that you still use your given name in all other
areas of your life.
Watch the length of your answers. Answers that are too short seem
abrupt; those that are too lengthy seem long winded and boring. But
it is better to run long than short because you can count on the
interviewer to cut you off or interrupt. Don't worry that this may be
unmannerly. It is "good television." A series of answers that are too
short results in lots of questions and the interview sounds like a
court room interrogation In a real conversation, people often
interrupt each other and pursue points. You can also make the
interview seem more conversational by using the interviewer's
name.
If the interviewer isn't asking the questions you want to answer, use
a politician's trick called "bridging"--quickly answer the question
asked and immediately move on to the subject you want to cover. For
example, "Yes Bill, I do get erotic pleasure by crossdressing, but
there are many other reasons why men wear dresses..." You get the
idea.
When speaking about the varied motives and satisfactions associated
with transvestism, be proactive on the numerous reasons for
crossdressing. Don't leave the audience with the impression that it
is only an erotic activity or a matter of gender identity for all
transvestites.
If you have children, and they know about your crossdressing, speak
out on your belief that this knowledge does not harm them. This is a
subject that is on many people's minds and must be addressed. But it
may not be talked about in the proper context unless you bring it
up.
Transsexuals must explain their feelings about being one gender and
yet appearing to be the other. This can also be explained by stories
of their valiant efforts to be like others of their genetic sex, i.e.
military service, family responsibilities, etc.
Listen to what the interviewer is saying or asking. On one television
show, the host mentioned a crossdresser's "decision to be a
transvestite." While the statement was actually a slip of the tongue
and the interviewer was referring to the crossdresser's decision to
tell his daughter about the behavior, some members of the audience
may believe that transvestism is something one chooses for
themselves.
Issued by Renaissance
A non-profit association to educate the professional and
general communities about transgendered people.
For more information write:
Renaissance
987 Old Eagle School Rd., Suite 719
Wayne, PA 19087 or Phone
610-975-9119
Email:
renaissance@ren.org