The full trailer of the upcoming Zoolander 2 was released three days ago, and it has already sparked criticism. LGBT activists are complaining about Benedict Cumberbatch’s character in the movie, which, in the words of Sarah Rose, the creator of an online petition to boycott the movie, “is clearly portrayed as an over-the-top, cartoonish mockery of androgyne/trans/non-binary individuals. This is the modern equivalent of using blackface to represent a minority“.
The petition, which has already reached 7,300 supporters, continued as follows; “If the producers and screenwriters of Zoolander wanted to provide social commentary on the presence of trans/androgyne individuals in the fashion industry, they could have approached models like Andreja Pejic to be in the film. By hiring a cis actor to play a non-binary individual in a clearly negative way, they film endorses harmful and dangerous perceptions of the queer community at large“.
Not a word has been heard yet from Paramount Pictures and it seems right now that the movie will be released as planned on the 11th of February next year.
#Peace.Love.Zoolander
