Pinterest has always been a positive place where people can explore the dreams and ideas that will fuel their future selves.
By Candice Morgan, Head of Inclusion & Diversity
So it’s no surprise that searches for “transgender transition” have increased 3919% since last year.
Pinners are also finding inspiring quotes, artwork, style tips, wellness ideas and representation in the growing number of trans, nonbinary and genderqueer celebrities online.
We have analyzed how people are using Pinterest to look into trans topics and celebrate gender transitions—for themselves and their loved ones, and are sharing some insights below.
Finding what transitioning means to you
People have been searching for trans topics on Pinterest for years. Top searches include “transgender quotes inspiration,” “transgender pride,” “transgender facts,” and “transgender art.”
But in 2019, “transgender transition” became the number one search-related to transgender topics. There have been millions of searches for topics like changing your name and pronouns, hormone therapy, gender-affirming surgeries, style, and how to support a loved one who is transitioning.
One of our own employees shared how Pinterest provided inspiration during their transition: “Among other things, I’ve used Pinterest during my physical transition to explore and visualize my style. How do I see myself and how do I want others to see me? How much do I want to blend in or stand out? Timeless or trendy? Rugged, preppy, minimalistic, edgy or athletic? Sure, I had asked these questions before transitioning and had exclusively worn clothes made for guys for going on ten years, but I started to find that I wanted to ask myself those questions more often because the answers were beyond anything I thought possible before transitioning. Pinterest has been a great source of not just inspiration for what I want to wear, but of self-actualization. It’s helped me see what’s possible for me during a time of immense growth.”
A sharp increase in searches
Searches on “transgender transition” started to rise dramatically in May of 2018, which might have correlated with other transgender issues and moments in the news at that time. Since this uplift in May 2018, searches on “transgender transition” have continued to increase 3919%.
Other trending searches
Since this increase, there have also been 4X as many searches for those transitioning from male to female than female to male—although we see from searches that Pinterest is popular with anyone who is transitioning. Some other trending searches this year are:
- Mtf (male to female) before and after transgender +65%: Pinners are exploring the experiences of other trans people during their transition
- Transgender comic +144%: Comic strips can put a helpful spin on challenging issues and weird situations faced by people exploring gender identity
- Transgender captions +621%: These short stories help transitioners know they are not alone
- LGBTQ coming out ideas +310%: Pinners are finding creative ways to come out to their loved ones, like throwing parties
- Nonbinary fashion plus size +196%: Pinners who don’t identify as male or female are finding fashion ideas that fit in more ways than one
- Genderqueer wallpaper (cell background) +79%: A special phone background is a positive message genderqueer Pinners can send themselves every day
- Here’s a shortlist of the trans and non-binary icons trending on Pinterest:
Top Pins
People are saving educational and inspiring Pins from the trans community like:
- Costs of gender transition breakdown
- Transgender booklist
- Beginner’s guides to binders
- Makeup tutorials
- Transgender icon Laverne Cox as Vogue UK’s First Transgender Cover Star
Resources on Pinterest
New to searching for transgender topics on Pinterest? These profiles can be a great place to start:
