sparks & honey Explores Gender, Sexuality and Language in Its Latest Culture Forecast Report

“The New Language of Gender” Is the Second Report From the Agency’s Newly-Formed Culture Trends Forecast Report Platform

NEW YORK, NY — (Marketwired) — 11/30/15 — sparks & honey, the New York-based agency that synchronizes brands with culture in the now, next and future, today announced the release of its latest culture forecast, “The New Language of Gender,” which details a “gender revolution” that is taking place and defines the new terminology needed to successfully navigate it. The report is the second one generated by the agency’s newly-formed Culture Forecast Trends Report Platform, which released its inaugural report — “Gen Z 2025: The Final Generation” — last month.

“The New Language of Gender” takes a deep dive into a significant cultural shift on how society perceives gender and sexuality. The report explains that rigid binary genders are giving way to a world of blurred, fluid identities across the gender spectrum — a change that is gaining momentum on social media through memes, viral videos, trends, products and cultural signals. This gender revolution has tremendous implications for society at large as well as the business world, as law, politics, media, tech, marketing and advertising, fashion, design, healthcare, sports and a long list of other industries make necessary changes.

“Gender is no longer a biological determination with a set of pre-ordained behaviors foisted upon us at birth — it’s a personal choice,” says Sean Mahoney, vp, editorial director, sparks & honey. “It is incumbent upon all of us not to question or judge anyone’s gender or sexual identity but to be an ally, requiring the use of a wholly new vocabulary. Words matter. This report is a guide to traversing the sometimes tricky language of a brave new gender fluid world and a clarion call to organizations seeking to connect with and embrace a growing community of gender revolutionaries.”

The report also serves as a dictionary, helping define and shed light on over 20 new gender terms that are appearing with increasing regularity in general parlance and specifically on social media channels. Among the new terms explored are: 

• Cisgender — one whose gender identity aligns with the gender they were assigned at birth
• Transgender — one whose gender identity does not align with the gender they were assigned at birth
• Intersex — one who is born with sex chromosomes, external genitalia, or internal reproductive systems that aren’t considered “standard” for male or female
• Dead name — what some trans people call the name there were assigned at birth before they chose one that better reflects their affirmed gender
• Genderqueer — gender identities that aren’t strictly masculine or feminine… they could be a blend or no gender at all
• Agender — people who do not identify with any gender at all 

In addition to important vocabulary, the report provides valuable information about how gender is formed and firsthand accounts of how the gender spectrum impacts lives from work and finance to business and daily interactions. A preview of the report can be found here.

“The New Language of Gender” comes on the heels of sparks & honey’s “Gen Z 2025: The Final Generation.” This study provides an in-depth glimpse into who Generation Z will be in 2025, including their moral views, relationship preferences, career expectations and financial habits. The young cohort seeks to turn “off” from an increasingly connected world, would rather save money than spend it and expects to have multiple careers by the time they reach 30 years of age. A video snapshot of these and other findings from the report can be found here. 

About sparks & honey

sparks & honey (www.sparksandhoney.com) is a New York-based agency with a mission to open minds and create possibilities in the now, next and future for brands. Employing a disruptive marketing platform and cultural newsroom model, sparks & honey leverages proprietary tools, algorithms and human insights to identify emerging cultural trends and engage brands in relevant and meaningful conversations. sparks & honey leverages the proprietary sparks & honey cultural intelligence system to deliver services in three areas for brands — innovation, cultural insights and content. Named to Ad Age’s 2014 A-List as an “Agency to Watch,” sparks & honey is a part of the DAS Group of Companies.

About the DAS Group of Companies

The DAS Group of Companies, a division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) (www.omnicomgroup.com), is a global group of marketing services companies. DAS includes over 200 companies in the following marketing disciplines: specialty, PR, healthcare, CRM, events, promotional marketing, branding and research. Operating through a combination of networks and regional organizations, DAS serves international, regional, national and local clients through more than 700 offices in 71 countries.

Source: sparks & honey