TransExploitation: the case of Zulma Lobato in Argentine celebrity culture

This article examines the case of Zulma Lobato, a travesti celebrity, to explore how media exploitation in Argentine television intersects with issues of class, gender, and representation. Lobato rose to prominence on ‘trash TV’ programmes like Hechos y Protagonistas, where her travesti identity and pursuit of fame were coded through sensationalised transphobic framing. This research highlights the systemic inequities faced by celebrities from marginalised communities while also critiquing exploitative commercial network TV in their role of heightening stereotypes for profit. The study situates Lobato within the broader Argentine media landscape, emphasising the linguistic and cultural specificity of the term mediáticos, often used in the region to describe celebrities. Thus, this study contributes to de-Westernising celebrity studies by engaging with non-Western epistemologies, centralising the unique dynamics of travesti mediascapes emanating from peripheral media centres. This research highlights the necessity of culturally nuanced approaches to understanding the conflation of gender identity and media exploitation as a way to reclaim agency within oppressive media structures.