We live in a capitalist and highly opportunistic world thatās ready to capitalise on every trend, issue or even adversities. Come April- every brand wants to be Environmentally-friendly (Green-washing). Come June, every brand supports Pride (aka Rainbow washing).Ā
But weāre not here for activism, weāre not here for capitalism, weāre here to bring smiles on peopleās faces through our art. Especially, those smiles that have been suppressed by our society, by our culture. This month,Ā all of us here at Colored RimsĀ areĀ celebrating and promoting LGBTQIA+ community, and weāre doing it with pride. Starting today, weāre introducing our Pride Collection - personalise your dolls the way you want, for whomever you want. Itās a tiny step weāre taking towards inclusivity for a community thatās been largely overlooked by our society.Ā It's a tiny step towards equal representation. Itās a tiny towards equal love. Because love is love.Ā
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Starting today (and moving forever), youāll be able to choose between clothing and gender, shape and size for dolls of your choice. (Weāre also working towards sourcing different shades of dolls as well but pandemic has made it really hard)
Why is it important?Ā
Representation matters. Despite our deep cultural references from Khajuraho and ancient India representing same sex relationship but somewhere along the way, thanks to our colonial past, these relationships were tabooed and were outcasted. In a society that anyway doesnāt like to discuss hard topics openly (because log kya kahenge?), what made the situation worse over decades was our film industryās caricatures of gay men and practically, ignoring the existence of gay women (except for āFireā and a few others).Ā
Imagine growing up and feeling youāre different in a world where everyone wants to feel accepted and wants to blend in, your core identity isnāt represented anywhere - from books to cinema to something so simple as toys or even art. These tiny steps we're taking, they matter. Every step in this direction is a step towards inclusivity.Ā
Although, weāre a very small business, weāll be donating 2% of our profits this month to <> in support of the community.Ā
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Lastly, weāre sharing some resources to spread awareness and drive donations to amazing organisations that doing great work - Pro-LGBTQIA+.
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ABCD of LGBTQIA+ (Via Pepperdine Graphic)
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L is for Lesbian
Lesbian refers to a woman who is primarily emotionally or sexually attracted to other women. The term woman here refers to an individualās gender identity rather than their biology. Non-binary individuals may also identify as lesbian.
G is for Gay
Gay specifically refers to a man who is primarily emotionally or sexually attracted to other men. Again, the term man refers to an individualās gender identity rather than their biology. However, gay as an umbrella term is commonly used by individuals of all genders to refer to same-gender emotional and sexual attraction.
B is for Bisexual
The shortened term bi can refer to the terms bisexual, biromantic or both. The term bisexual refers to an individual of any gender identity who experiences sexual attraction to people regardless of their gender.
B is also for Biromantic
Biromantic refers an individual who experiences romantic attraction to individuals of all genders.
T is for Trans*
Specifically with the asterisk, trans* refers to all gender identities other than gender assigned at birth (cisgender). This includes non-binary, genderqueer and gender non-conforming individuals. Without the asterisk, trans is often used to describe individuals whose external gender expression and internal gender identity does not match their gender assigned at birth. Trans* does not refer to any biological procedures.
Q is for Queer
Queer remains a controversial term with regard to the LGBTQIA+ community. The term has historically been used as a slur, and individuals still find the term offensive. Other individuals, however, have reclaimed the term queer as a rejection of gender and sexual orientation labels.
Q is also for Questioning
Questioning refers to an individual still seeking a gender identity or gender expression or sexual orientation that feels accurate to their experience.
I is for Intersex
Intersex refers to someone born with both male and female biological characteristics. Intersex may also refer to a variance in chromosome and hormone levels. The term does not refer to any form of gender identity or expression.
A is for Asexual
Asexual, or ace, refers to an individual who experiences little to no sexual attraction. This does not mean that an asexual person does not desire a relationship or will not participate in sexual behavior. An asexual individual also may or may not still experience emotional or romantic attraction to individuals of the same or different genders.
A is also for Aromantic
Aromantic, or aro, refers to an individual who experiences little to no romantic attraction. An aromantic individual may or may not still experience sexual attraction to individuals of the same or different genders.
A is also for Ally
An ally is an individual who may identify as cisgender and straight but still supports and advocates for members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
P is for Pansexual
Similar in definition to bisexual, the term pansexual, or pan, may be preferred by individuals who can feel sexually attracted to any person. The term pansexual rejects the gender binary, emphasizing the spectrum nature of gender expression.
P is also for Panromantic
Panromantic refers to an individual who experiences romantic attraction to individuals of all genders. Again, the pan- instead of bi- prefix emphasizes a spectrum rather than binary of gender expression. This term may be preferred by some to biromantic.
+ is for ________
The āplusā at the end of LGBTQIAP+ represents the other identities not included in the commonly-used acronym, regardless if there are commonly agreed upon words to describe them.
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- Team Colored Rims