Lyrics to Emilia Pérez’s gender-affirming surgery song go viral

A musical number from Selena Gomez’s Spanish thriller Emilia Pérez is causing a stir on social media with her surprisingly simple explanation of gender confirmation surgery.

The film, which was recently released on Netflix, tells the story of a trans Spanish actress. Karla Sofia Gascón He plays Pérez, the head of a Mexican cartel who wants to undergo gender reassignment surgery.

He believes he must fake his own death to escape his past. Powerful lawyer Rita Mora appoints Castro (Star TrekZoe Saldaña) will help him disappear, leaving his wife behind Jessie (Gomez) and two children.

After Rita convinces a doctor that Emilia is serious about having surgery, the pair wander around an underground hospital and sing a song called—wait for it—“La Vaginplastia.”

This translates as “vaginoplasty,” which is a surgical procedure that results in the creation of a vagina.

Saldaña said, “Hello, nice to meet you. I would like to get information about the gender change operation.” singingThe doctor replies: “Man to woman or woman to man?”

When it comes to “man to woman” the doctor says: “From penis to vagina.”

THIS IS NOT A REAL MOVIE DSHJDSFHDSFHHJDSF pic.twitter.com/Jjbq7cxTn9

— chloe (@ChloeNumberIII) November 13, 2024

The song goes on as a sort of gender-affirming surgery checklist, with the doctor asking if Emilia will need a boob job, vaginoplasty, rhinoplasty, and laryngoplasty surgery.

Viewers reacted with skepticism on social media, especially since the film was believed to be in contention for an Oscar nomination.

One person wrote, referring to director Jacques Audiard: “Every once in a while, a French guy will make a movie about gay people that people in Cannes will call a ‘life-changing work’ or something. It is then broadcast to general audiences and we all find out that some things happened. south park damn it.”

A second user who reshared the “La Vaginplastia” scene said: “I can’t put into words how awful it is. Emilia Perez So let’s let this clip do its thing.”

Every once in a while some French dude makes a movie about gay people that people in Cannes will call “a life-changing work” and then it’s released to general audiences and we all find out it’s some South Park bullshit. https://t.co/Ry3s92iWOD

— Keifer (@DannyVegito) November 13, 2024

Reviews are particularly divided on whether it advances or hinders trans representation.

On the bright side, in May Gascón became the first transgender woman to be named Best actress at the Cannes Film Festivaland most critics praised him for carrying the film.

However, Audiard’s work has also been dubbed. “this is bullshit” and a “a reductive approach to the trans experience” while here PinkNews said the film “loses all nuance when it comes to trans identity”.

The film features a lot of tired trans tropes, and viewers were seemingly led to believe that Emilia was a man underneath her surgery.

While Emilia is deadnamed and misgendered at many points, she describes herself as “half man, half woman.” Tropes such as trans women resorting to violence, their lives being tragic, and being abandoned by their families also make up a large part of the film.

In arguably the most disturbing scene, Emilia reacts violently to Jessi, seemingly adopting a low-pitched tone similar to the one she used pre-surgery.

Emilia Pérez currently streaming on Netflix.

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