Is there a trans "uncanny valley"?

[frances_larina]

So, I was reading this:
http://www.csmonitor.com/Technology/2015/1230/Why-do-humanoid-robots-give-so-many-people-the-jitters
Mostly because, well...I saw the header photo on a news feed and thought the robot was a trans woman. I don't 'pass' all the time and I'm an aspie with mild face blindness so that that as you will, but please don't assume I meant anything negative by it. Partway through, the author talks about the "uncanny valley", the phenomenon that as CGI animators - and now roboticists - continued improving their art, their creations grew to appear closer and closer to the goal of being indistinguishable from a human. But there's a hitch: at first as they look more human, people are accepting and essentially fill in the gaps. But as they almost reach the goal of being indistinguishable, suddenly the discrepancies become magnified and people are repulsed. And then when they reach it (hasn't happened yet with animation or robotics) people are assumed to once again be accepting.

So, does this also happen in transition with appearance, voice, and other attributes that we strive to fix? Could it account for some difficulties later that didn't seem to exist in the very beginning? And finally, can it be used advantageously by not trying "too hard" with a face or voice to be too feminine / masculine?

[suzifrommd]

Interesting Frances, I was just talking about this very thing with a trans friend a couple days ago.

Here is where our valley is:
* People can deal with cis folks. If they read us as cis, no problem.
* People can deal with trans folks. If they clock us or read us as clearly trans, no problem.
* However if we're almost passable, but there's just the slightest thing off - something that maybe people notice subconsciously but not consciously - it makes them uncomfortable. They stare and become uncomfortable around you because they're just not sure what's wrong.

Before I got my current wig, and before HRT had done all its work, I would get a lot of stares. I noticed my clearly non-passable friends never got similar stares. When I started passing better, the stares went away.

Great topic.

[Lyric]

I've long been familiar with the "uncanny valley" concept. I've considered doing a chart as it might relate to this. I'd say that singer who made the news awhile back who wore women's clothes and makeup with a thick beard would definitely fall to the bottom of the valley. Fashion model Andrej Pejic would be well above the median line though. Basically I suppose it depends upon the common male and female visual signals. For instance, as you gain in height over 5'8" or so you gradually may suggest more masculinity, but height it fairly forgivable. Any degree of facial hair, however, is a loose.

Come to think of it, you could probably work up several subordinate uncanny valley charts relating to ->-bleeped-<-. We might play around with that sometime.