Trailer Still of All (Benedict Cumberbatch) [Copyright: Paramount Pictures]
Zoolander 2 is a film that has many flaws. From its slow-to-get-going plot, to its jarring and frequent celebrity cameos, to just the fact it generally misses jokes, it is evident why this film has mixed reviews. However, another major issue is its offensive stance that feels less like mocking the fashion industry (the stance taken for the first film), to just purely mocking unfashionable people. Most notably is a series of fat jokes made at Zoolander’s teenage son. Although, to a different character, it also contains offense towards the non-binary community (obviously, that is why you are here). The character is called All, and this is basically all that could go wrong with representation.
Zoolander 2, released in 2016, follows Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) who reunites with Hansel (Owen Wilson) after a turbulent 15 years of disaster and exile following the first film. Employed by Fashion Interpol Agent Valentina Valencia (Penélope Cruz), the team must uncover the mastermind behind a series of celebrity murders. In the film, All (portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch) is shown to be the new top model who mocks the main pair’s fall from grace, and terrorizes them during a catwalk segment designed to humiliate Zoolander and Hansel.
To give the very limited credit the film deserves, it does partially avoid queerbaiting by saying that All uses “we” and “herm”* pronouns and does not conform to binary constructs of gender. Congratulations; that is half a star. Unfortunately, (and not in the way a comedy movie wants to be) the rest of the representation is a joke.
This is due to the fact All is purely there for comedy, and by comedy I mean an attempt to be funny relying purely on offensive stereotypes. Herm is designed to look alien in an uncomfortable manner. Shaved eyebrows, pale face, and a bony cheek and chin structure creates a face that borders on the uncanny valley, something that appears human but does not feel human. This, combined with Cumberbatch’s acting featuring an unblinking stare, twitching mouth, and jarring vocal tone changes multiple times mid-sentence, further emphasize the uncomfortability at this inhumanity. The point the film was attempting to address is the fact that our two main protagonists, Zoolander and Hansel, feel uncomfortable and confused in this new fashion world. However, this meaning is lost as it instead feels like they are uncomfortable due to All’s androgyne identity, implying this is how all trans and non-binary individuals make “normal” people feel. Therefore, the stereotype being shown here is that individuals who identify in this way are different, confusing, and terrifying.
The representation of All also creates a too idealistic portrayal of the backlash garnered from gender identity. Hiser** life is shown to be optimal; being a famous and respected modeller, who is able to achieve hiser wishes such as marring hermself, and not receiving any negative comments as the other characters awkwardly accept All’s identity. This is unlikely to occur in real life, especially with the stereotype goldmine discussed earlier.
Granted, this is only from the couple minutes All is on-screen (around 25 minutes into the film). However, the fact that all this is achieved in such a small space of time just further establishes that the character is nothing more than an object to be ridiculed at.
In conclusion, I have learnt three things from this portrayal: that heesh/herm pronouns exist, that actors will take any role for money, and that this is the worst way to portray a non-binary character. Basically, All is offensive to all.
* Nope, that is not a typo. Herm would be used equivalently to him, her, or them
** To clarify: hiser is the heesh/herm equivalent to his, her, or their
Rating
Avoiding Stereotypes – 0 stars
Avoiding Tokenism – 0 stars
Avoiding Queerbaiting – ½ a star
Too Idealistic or Too Cynical – 0 stars
External Effects – 0 stars
Overall: ½ a star
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