The Uncomfortable Truth About Trans Language in Mainstream Culture

Robert Wilson · 2026-10-12

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 demonized and marginalized. 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 demonize trans people themselves." ### The Vogue Parallel 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 commercialized without adequately centering the creators and originators who developed it, even while those communities remain marginalized. "It's like watching someone borrow your favorite jacket, wear it to the party, and then pretend they don't know you when you show up," Jezebel says. "The culture gets celebrated, but the people who made it get pushed to the side." ### Who Gets to Profit? 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. She points out that while the language of ballroom and queer culture has become trendy, the people who created it still face violence, discrimination, and economic marginalization. - **Cultural appropriation vs. appreciation:** Jezebel argues that true appreciation involves crediting and compensating the originators, not just using their slang. - **The cost of visibility:** She notes that trans people are often hypervisible in media as punchlines or villains, but invisible when it comes to leadership and ownership. - **The path forward:** Jezebel calls for mainstream platforms to actively include trans creators in decision-making roles and to share profits fairly. "We're not asking for much," she says. "Just acknowledge where this came from. Hire trans people. Pay us. Don't use our language to sell products while ignoring our struggles." ### A Call for Accountability Jezebel's message is a call for accountability in a world that loves to borrow from marginalized cultures without giving back. As terms like "serving" and "it's giving" become part of everyday speech, she hopes people will remember their roots—and the communities that still fight to be seen and heard. You can find and follow Princess Jezebel at TransPrincessJezebel.com to learn more about her work and advocacy.