Commentary

Teens Redefine Gender And Sexuality

According to today’s teens, gender is more than “he” and “she,” and sexual orientation is more than “gay” or “straight.” In a new study from the UK market research company Ipsos Mori, about a third of Generation Z identifies as something other than totally heterosexual. And based on a recent University of Minnesota study, almost 3% of Minnesota teens identify as something other than male or female.

In the Ipsos Mori study, 66% of those ages 16-22 identify as “exclusively heterosexual,” the lowest figure of any generation. By contrast, 71% of Millennials, 85% of Gen X and 88% of Baby Boomers identify as completely heterosexual. Researchers credit this change to social media, “more open and fluid attitudes,” and more information about sexuality made available online. In the same survey, three out of five British 15-16 year-olds think that sexuality can be represented by a scale, rather than a binary, so it’s possible to be something other than exclusively gay or straight.

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Similarly, University of Minnesota researchers examined a 2016 survey of 81,000 ninth and eleventh graders, and found that nearly 2,200 (about 2.7%) answered “yes” to the following question: “Do you consider yourself transgender, genderqueer, gender-fluid or unsure of your gender identification?” This was a significant increase from an earlier UCLA study which estimated that 0.7% of teens 13-17 nationwide are transgender. The Minnesota researchers hope to expand upon their study with national data.

Just as teens increasingly reject gender and ethnic stereotypes, they also reject the concept that they have to be exclusively male or female, or completely gay or straight. Jaden Smith rocks a skirt in public. The pre-teen beauty vlogger “Beauty by Jack” took the Internet by storm last year with his makeup tips. And teen icons like Demi LovatoMiley Cyrus and Shailene Woodley have spoken publicly about being attracted to people without regard to gender.

How can brands navigate this new world of gender and sexual fluidity?

*Be inclusive in your marketing. Besides showing ethnic diversity, also pay attention to gender diversity, and depict people with non-traditional gender identities and expression. Not every male has to look like a jock, and not every female has to wear a pink dress. And not everybody even has to be male or female. Include genderqueer and gender-fluid individuals, to represent the full spectrum of gender. The TV series “Billions” achieved a new level of pop-culture cache by casting the non-binary actor Asia Kate Dillon in the role of Taylor.

*Show diverse relationships. Romantic depictions in marketing and entertainment storylines don’t need to be exclusively straight, with a token “exclusively gay” couple thrown in. You can also show rich, interesting, complicated relationships between two genderqueer individuals; a young female who sometimes dates girls and sometimes dates guys; or somebody typically straight who realizes they have an attraction that places them somewhere else on the scale. Vulture recently wrote about the boom in bisexual TV characters on shows such as “Grown-ish,” “Brooklyn 9-9” and “Jane the Virgin,” and how these characters’ relationships make for richer, more relevant storytelling.

*Watch your language. Language around gender is something of a minefield, but take care to respect people’s choices of pronouns, and realize “they/them” is an increasingly acceptable choice both grammatically and politically. Make sure the language you use isn’t exclusively “he and she” and “him/her.” Even the foul-mouthed, un-PC traders on “Billions” always respect Taylor’s preference for “they/them” pronouns.

By showing respect for the full spectrum of gender and sexual identity, brands can form stronger relationships with young consumers who increasingly reject the false choice of living in a binary world.

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