History Of Blahaj And The Transgender Community
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- Опубликовано: 22 дек 2023
- What is Blahaj? Why is it considered a transgender online symbol? How did we get here? Ghostpop answers all these questions and more in this short, bite size video essay on the famous Ikea meme shark.
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In this video transgender mtf boy to girl male to female youtuber Ghostpop explains the history of the Blahaj, aka BLÅHAJ from IKEA, and why it's a transgender icon online to many trans female boymoders
Thank you so much for watching, I hope you enjoyed! As always, leave any criticism in the comments!
#blahaj #trans #mtf #transgender
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Maybe later.
man i just wanted the IKEA shark not a trans icon. but, IDC I NEED MORE SHARK PLUSH
mannn
Yes, "blow high" is much closer to Swedish "blåhaj" than the American "blah hadj" or "blah hah" is.
Of course the "å" is a long monophtong not a diphthong; but very few English speakers are able to pronounce long vowels without turning them into diphthongs so it's as close as it gets within English phonology.
I am not a linguist but for these types of vids I try my best!
...which is weird, right? Because they do it all the time without trying.
L*a*w
Cl*a*w
Fl*a*w
B*oa*rd
G*ou*rd
*Au*stralia
Jean-Cl*au*de Van Damme
...or is that just my Swedish brain mishearing english?
Much like the competing pronunciations of Mojang, both are popular enough to be valid. But if you wanna imitate the Swedish, NZ/Australian/British English can get a lot closer with “blor-high”
I refuse :(
I go more 'au' on that, which i suppose brings it closer to it's German cognate, blau.
some species of sharks change gender as they mature, starting as male at birth [or after they hatch] and maturing into an adult and switching genders to female to lay more eggs or birth more sharks
which is pretty awsome but also kinda just another one of those funny tidbits that sharks also transition mid life to the opposite gender
I DIDNT KNOW THAT AWWWW
@@Ghostpop there are lots of animals that do this! iirc clownfish do, and several species of frogs :3
i think parrotfishes are known to be trans by default (thanks masaru) and while trying to find its name after forgetting i also found out clownfishes can be trans and become males permanently(?)
really? what kind of shark species? there are fish and other animals that can change they gender,but i never heard about sharks
@@raymond4218not humans though 😔
Funny enough there is another community where the Blahaj is really popular: Hackers. At least here in Germany, the Hacker community loves them as well. But the trans and hacker community are really close together. Like don't assume a gender on a hacker event ever, so many trans people. Me myself owns 5 Blahajar (yup thats the plural).
gay trANs furries hacking the candian government never gets old
there's a reason why they're called programmer socks
The Venn Diagram is a fucking circle.
People in the IT field (at least here in the west) often overlap with LGBTQ+ categories, just look up "Programming socks (another term for thigh high socks)"
the Venn diagram between trans girls and hackers is getting closer and closer to a circle.
5:15
not exactly related to trans stuff or blahaj. But, the creator of Jaws spent the rest of his life working to preserve shark species, because he was upset at how people viewed them as monsters due to his movie.
Spielberg has said that making Jaws is the biggest regret of his life because of the worldwide reaction and fear of sharks that it caused.
@@KhotetsuDang, hope he at least knows how beloved it is even all these years later. And it is possible to separate fiction from reality. I love movies like Jaws and the Meg, and I love sharks too.
There was a trans community in 2014? But- but the media said they were made up in quarantine.
🥺
👉👈
That was when me and my homies suddenly spawned from the sewers, so...
@@justsomeguy5628God, I remember when I spawned from the sewers. Good times.
@@justsomeguy5628Remember that time all those sewer rats tried forming an uprising against us and we had to fist fight them? Good thing Leaf, Moss, and Charleston Esquire III were there to stop them.
Not my dumbass who accidentally made a reply of 2 happy emojis when trying to get a hair off my phone :/
I transitioned in 2005 but there was no trans community, so I guess that makes me a biological female!
Just to note: The "Das Ehebett für alle" campaign was from IKEA in response to a 2021 Swiss referendum to legalize same-sex marriage (and adoption). As you explained, it basically means "love for all," but the German term for a double bed is literally "marriage bed" because it fits two people. There were other ads with other IKEA plushies, but the fact that they used Blåhaj for something supporting the queer community does suggest they were being deliberate.
yeah it is one thing to see the classic pride things by corporations, but the ikea ad was special as it had a specific voting recommendation for a running referendum, ads usually only run by parties or lobby groups
I knew it was mostly associated with trans girls, but when I (FTM) was getting furniture for my new apartment when I first moved out of my parents' house, and was preparing to go to my first doctor's appointment to start testosterone, I went by IKEA and couldn't resist getting one anyway :)
Blahaj should really be for everyone :)
As a trans guy I'm late to the trend too, but I'm planning to finally get one to keep me company after top surgery! They tell you to get a lot of comfy pillows, so why not a confy shark pillow too?
i have one im ftm
I had a sleepover at a friends place last year, and one trans guy she knew brought his too! It was very soft indeed
I have one too and im ftm!! my blahaj is called cicero
I always just assumed it was from the color scheme.
I learned about Blahaj from this one streamer I watch, Rin Penrose, who currently owns eleven and wants more. Seriously, she might buy IKEA one day and take them all. It’s beautiful.
beautiful indeed…. 🥲
british vtuber
SHE HAS 11?!
@@honamimochizukisponytail U should see Peachybunnn’s Blahaj corner
WHY IS THIS ACE MOUFOU SO OBSESSED WITH BLAH-HAGES
Cringe? As if that's ever stopped us before 😂 That just makes me want to get *more* blåhaj 😊
PREACH
Nobody can stop Blåhaj
:(
In the wise words of Confucius "every human including me is very fucking cringe ngl"
no cringe = no humanity, very true @@salderr
Getting a Blå-haj for your trans fam is never a fucking bad idea and will NEVER be cringe.
its only cringe if the ppl who said it is one of those nerds who hate people for existing
I like how there’s not a really reason it’s just always been associated with trans women like it was just accepted it feels like a myth of some sort if that makes sense shsh
Iol it’s an ancient legend
wait, blåhaj is a trans WOMAN thing?
can us gents have a fun shark buddy too please 🥺🙏
@@camerantherollermain hell yeah dude jus enjoy ur shark !!!
@@camerantherollermain Blåhaj is for everyone. Speaking as a straight male with his own shark plushie.
@@camerantherollermain
Blahaj is for everyone
I like to think that the reason Blahhaj took of with the trans is because they're like a lot of Ikea's other products, in which extra assembly may be required.
My blahaj is always holding a nerf revolver because no gays shall be harmed when the blahaj is armed
Everyone forgets the grey shark KLAPPAR HAJ that came before blåhaj. I will find one one day...
I think that's the one I have. I've had it pretty much my entire life
Isn’t there also a pink one? I think I remember seeing a few of them in the Trans Academy VRChat server
@@Agent_Matt_6 I remember someone saying that those are bootleg blahaj
shonk will never deadname you
shonk will never misgender you
shonk will always be by your side when you need her the most
praise to the shonk :3
I was just wondering this yesterday! Excellent video and i loved the captions throughout it! Even if there is no definitive answer on when blåhaj became a trans icon, this was still a really great breakdown video and i enjoyed watching it!
Thank you!! I’m really happy you liked it :)
My cousin was part of the design team that created the Blåhaj. Well technically she worked on designing the Grössby (a.k.a. Gråhaj) which was the predecessor to the Blåhaj. It was like her second design job as she just started out working as a designer.
She is very happy that her baby project is very loved by the trans community.
She now works as the main designer of glassware in Älmhult (the main offices of IKEA).
And yes the rumours are true. Everyone in Sweden (I being Swedish) know at least one person who has or is working at IKEA. I have worked many a summers as a teen as a retailer and warehouse employee.
Tell her we love our favorite silly lil shonky fellow! 🥰 I wish IKEA would release the trans edition Blahaj for sale though 😢
I already gave my trans-gf a Blahaj (Because she always wanted one and that one time we went to ikea we didnt bought one)
SINCE THEN IT BECAME HER GO TO CUDDLE PILLOW WHENEVER IM AT HER PLACE OR NOT, Still best christmas purchase
in my personal experience my grahaj found me as an egg and stayed by my side the whole time. i then discovered the trans associations later.
I literally just got one of these for Christmas (I am very transgender)
LOL that’s awesome!! What are the odds
Another connection is that both the Blåhaj and trans people are soft, cuddly and adorable :>
I pronounce it Blah-haj, not because I think it is pronounced that way (at least not anymore), but more because I am stubborn and enjoy watching the world burn :3.
Great video btw Ghost :D
I rly want one ;--;
Thank you!! You will get ur own one day 🤍
Im not trans but i am under the spectrum so i should def get one of this silly goobers
absolutely
I'm not part of lgbt and i don't have any mental disorders so i should def get one of this silly goobers
im straight and if i was allowed to purchase one then i would get it
I have been binge-watching blahaj content with my haj in my arm for a couple hours now. Your video is one of the few more bite-sized ones. I'll definitely be watching more of your content :3
One can never have enough blahaj!
Not just the trans community
At least every 1/5 of computer programmers/scientists/engineers would have a Blahaj
The stament at 4:50 sorta implies that blahaj only became a trans icon after the discontinuation in september 2021, but you seem spend the entire video up until this point arguing for a pre-existing connection, and i know first-hand that blahaj was a trans icon at least as early as autumn 2020, when i started going to my local trans support group. I was actually at a meeting in the group when the discontinuation was announced, and everyone was pissed because blahaj was a well-established mascot of the transgender community and we didn't understand why it was being taken away.
Not a correction, more of a nitpick (and some algorithmic engagement). As you say, the story of blahaj is nebulous and many-threaded. Add to that the subjective nature and many separate definitions of words such as "icon", as well as regional variations in the spread of the phenomenon, and differences between IRL and online spread. No two people's story of blahaj will be exactly the same.
This is really insightful, I agree. I definitely struggled a bit to make the certain connection haha, but I remember as well when it was discontinued and you're right that it was already sorta a thing lol. Thank you for the comment!
Directions on how to cuddle unclear. The shark is now alive and blocking the doorway to my living room. Anytime I walk up to it, it makes this terrifying guttural noise and I dont know what to do. Please help.
I couldve sworn there was a tumblr post that took the colours of the blahaj to make a trans flag, i think thats how it started. The trans blahaj is so so cute
the voice training is amazing
Hahah thank you im working on it :)
@@Ghostpop i like your nails :)
I managed to rescue the last of the larger Blahaj, probably in the whole of Southern UK. They were sat in a trolley full of random junk in a staff area, and I fucking YOINKED that shit. They're called Beelzebub, and the smaller Blahaj I got is called Belial.
Omg I thought I was the only one who named Blahaj after demons. The big one I have is named Astaroth, and I just got a smaller one that’s named Marchosias!
@@treemannick2969As was fortold. Playdate for the demon Blahaj
I’ve had one of these for years! I never realised how much recognition these lil things are getting lol
Whoever said that my girl was cringe hasnt met me yet 💥v💥
He's blue, pink (mouth) and white OFCOURSE he's trans
I CALLED IT
ive never seen another person thats born on september 26th other than myself. youre my best friend now.
:D
Wait ive been calling the lil guy "bla-ha"
i’ve been calling them “bla-hagh”
Bla-háj for me
That explosion at the start scared me so much more than I am willing to admit
So that's why there was a shark in the trans flag in r/Place. And now I also know it's entire lore, thanks!
As a Swedish person I can say you pronounce it pretty well. Like 90% accuracy. I was surprised when I heard you say blåhaj instead of blahah at the start of the video. Just remove the w sound and extend the O sound in blow. So kinda like blooohaj. Don't change the way you say o though. Like it's not an o from "bokning'. Still you're 90% there already 👍
Also fun fact I'm sure everyone already knows :
Blå = blue
Haj = shark
I assumed it was because there are areas around the world where being transgender is illegal and buying any trans themed products is banned too.
…but due to Ikea Blahaj is available worldwide and is blue, white & pink. Making it a way of identifying with and supporting trans people in areas where a flag would be dangerous to have.
BTW these are availble in the UK again, Ive brought two, one full size one and one halfsize one to take to next pride march.
Ive been calling them blue-high because thats what i'd heard was the correct pronouciation... but I find that confuses people who think its blah-ha or blah-hadj
As a femboy, this is also our shark but dont worry we can share
1 other note, someone recently a few months back added the shork to Fallout New Vegas, a whole new powerful level of trans.
This is the first time I’ve ever heard the word spoken aloud, my entire life I’ve read it as “Blah Hahdge”
0:46 "john schlatterton" will tear you to shreads now
I was just thinking about getting one lol, perfect timing!
lol you should do it!!
The ones who say it's cringe are cringe.
Can we just appreciate that someone actually looked up the pronounciation? I always get the urge to slap someone when I correct their American pronunciation and they call me stupid. I'm not Swedish. I'm probably also mispronouncing it. But atleast we're trying!
i cannot believe i have been pronouncing blahaj incorrectly....
I got my blahaj today and I love him so much I don’t even know how to explain
Watching video with blahaj blahaj keep me sane from school
good video! i recently got my own blahaj and i adore them so much more than i ever thought i would. Thank you very much for sharing their history!🥰
I remember when I said I wanted one of these, my mother became suspicious I was hiding something I didn't want to tell her
I wasn't I just wanted the shark plush.
I'm more about Jungelskog, but might have to get a blåhaj
(your pronunciation is actually pretty good. better than blah ha or whatever the others say)
Also, I’m so sowwie for the people being mean in the comments 💖💖❤️🩹❤️🩹 you are amazing ;3💞
🤍🤍🤍🤍
It is BLAH-HAJ and i will die on this hill godbless.
Wrong wrong
Give this the pin of shame@@Ghostpop
@@prototypical No shame me and my two BLAH-HAJ will accept this outcome.
@@33OmegaPrincess33 pin of shame. Tsk tsk
please just say /blu-hai/ i beg you
Pretty sure my first introduction to Blåhaj was honestly my school having one in their class and naming him Bruce LMAO
I bought myself a Blåhaj last year and he chills with me pretty much every day.
As a trans lad too, I take this as an absolute win
5:03 This is a really good comparison! BUUUUUUT The first movie I watched after I got mine was Deep Blue Sea, a movie that basically portrays sharks as merciless savage killing machines with a endless craving for human flesh soooo....
(We had to, he said his cousin was in it😭)
I didn't even know about this until today. Thank u for this awesome video. u r so so pretty and i loved watching u cuddle ur Blahaj. I will get one I think, because I do currently have several good stuffies but you really sold me on this Blahaj :3
Hahaha thank you 🤍
Great video front to back plus you nailed your voice training! Hope you get momentum out of this
thank you so much!! I’m really trying my best on all fronts haha 🤍
I got my Blåhaj recently while I’m currently having a crisis gender wise. Blåhaj has been a comfort while I go through this, and I agree with it being a great plushy. Definitely worth the $30, he is the best purchase I’ve made in awhile
Norwegian here, it's closer to blaw-hai that blow-hai, and our Ls are a bit different, with the tip of our tongue, but you were pretty spot on
okayyy ill keep that in mind in the future, thank you!!
As a swed i had one of those as a kid, I also had a dolphin vertion, I was living life
Tysm for the explanation
I've been chronically online for a long time, tumblr included, and a big fan of the Blahaj since it came out back then, but I didn't find out about the trans icon till the pandemic. Maybe because I am cis, so my online wondering took a while before I stumbled upon the greater trans community? I still haven't got one yet because $30 is still a little pricey and could be spent on something more useful than a plush, still want one and would gladly accept one as a gift. I also want them to make a plushy of the Japanese Blahaj who is a real estate agent and a dad who wears a blazer and a tie!
I drove 3hours to the nearest ikea to get a blahaj just for them to be sold out 😭
rippppp
Regarding the end:
"The truth is: we were happy when we were cringe"
Just saw this on my feed and I didn't even know this was a thing before, but I always wanted one
i got one of the smaller sized Blahaj to add to my nightmare blunt rotation plush collection (currently consists of a single squishmallow, Freddy Fazbear pillow pet, an among us plush that can stand on it's own, the miserable Pou plush, and a Sanshee Foxy plush) and i can confirm the blahaj is an incredible plush, it's so comfy to hold when you sleep. i named mine Bort.
You are so underated i hope one day you make it big on youtube
Ahhh thank you so much!!!!
I got myself a Blahaj recently :3
and It's been helping a lot with my mood and It's so soft I've been enjoying it.
and I've been slowly gaining the confidence to come out to some of my friends and slowly working towards family very slowly don't wanna rush it of course but thanks for the. History video I enjoyed it :3
Ahh omfg i got my own blåhaj yesterday and I LOVE HIM! Blåhaj is seriously underrated.
I didnt have any reason to get a blahaj, except for the fact that its really cute.
Now my Bighaj has helped me comfort in many shit times, i love my sharkie
Im trans and own 2 blåhajs, honestly hes just a little support fella.
Recently the Blahaj has gotten really popular in the femboy community as well >w
Our communities are friends and we all get to share the skirts and sharks!
@@gabrielcarmine69 YESS >w< skirts and sharks for everyone >:333 🦈 💕
Trans girls and boys 💖 Femboys and tomboys :3
norwegian here, pronunciation is pretty spot on, the only thing i'd change is the "ow" sound, i think it's closer to a kind of english "ough" sound, not referring to any kind of specific word, just the way the word looks like it'd be pronounced
...wait it's a trans symbol?
won't stop me from getting one, i'd even give up my identity for it, or actually, the gray klappar haj is a thing, i could get one of those considering the color scheme... for probably a significant markup
As a Swede you pronounce blåhaj very good, not perfect, but its good compared to most people.
Femboy + blåhaj = love
I need one but there isn't an IKEA anywhere near me
I'm here for the Danganronpa music 🥰🎶
I need to hug mine every time I sleep, I need him. If there was one plushie I could keep, it would be him.
agreed
I was playing botc in a server with like 8 friends, of whom like 70% are trans
and I turned my camera on and held up my blahaj, Reef, up to the camera
then 5 minutes later there were 12 blahaj present.
It was cute
have spent 120+USD on blahaj and not stopping anytime soon
I thought it was a femboy thing, everyone around me says the blahaj is the femboy shark, yet here we have something else, interesting
Fun fact blahaj is cheaper in eu now(price is reduced to 20€ for blahaj and 5€ for smallhaj)
LEGITIMATELY 9/26 IS MY TRANS LITTLE BROTHER'S BIRTHDAY, I SHIT YOU NOT
HAHAHAHA BASED
As a swede I really appreciate that you actually try to pronounce it correctly. It's obviously not perfect since I assume that you don't speak swedish, but it's far ahead of how most other people who don't speak the language pronounce it. And just to be clear, I don't blame you for not getting it 100% correct. Just like someone else in this comment section said, most native english speakers have a really hard time with letters like "å". Also, thank you so much for calling out the people that say "blah-haj". That pronunciation really annoys me. It annoyed me so much that it actually became sort of a joke between me and my sister. She bought a little stuffed blue whale (which is called "båval" in swedish) for her cat, and we both independent from each other jokingly said that she had bought a "blah-vahl" to our mom.
Thank you!! I try my best haha
I'm not Trans but I own 3 of these idiots and I love them all. 2 big ones and one smol guy
Fallout New Vegas is also oddly associated with trans culture. And then there's the knee high socks.
EDIT: As a Dane, feel free to borrow these: Å å - Blåhaj, BLÅHAJ
Wait is this why people keep thinking my plush shark OC is trans?
I thought I was being fucking gaslit or something.
Blåhaj does come in two sizes, 100cm (39 inch) and 55cm (21 inch). The price of the large one has of recent been lowered, but not by much, only $5/50kr (SEK) less.
funnily i first owned a blahaj bc i'm a shark Connoisseur, and it's just cute... 😂😂 and then i ended up fitting the trans stereotype (specifically enby on T and had top surgery but ah)
proud owner of 2 big blahaj & 2 small ones :) (because there's a downsized version too!)
as a swede i am on my hands and knees thanking you so much for not pronouncing it "bleh hedge" or "blawhahch"
ofc!! i try :)
lol i actually just got 2 small blahajs a week ago (i had the big one before but i couldnt find the little guys for a long time)
such cute little fellas!
Awwwwee cute
…. Blow-high….
IVE BEEN PRONOUNCING THEM AS BA JAH LIKE THE FUCKING JUICE THIS WHOLE TIME
Driftveil City theme will never not hit
Unrelated but i LOVE your sweater where did you get it
TikTok shop i think lol
First time hearing about Blahaj and this channel. Both are pretty cool!
Thank you!! 🤍
I only recently learned that blahaj had a larger variant than the one I own.
Unfortunately, I could not use the Blahaj directly for home defense, for it is both inanimate and lacks any desire to do harm. It also lacks thumbs so even if it was capable and willing to inflict harm unto others, it would physically be incapable of operating firearms.
However, I've found that despite this, it does dissolve hostility from home intruders once they are aware of it's general presence and existence. This usually offers me an opening to take them out with my grapeshot loaded cannon I had mounted at the top of the stairs, quickly eliminating the threat. Unfortunately, this also does sometimes result in the goober now formerlly known as Blahaj in becoming collateral damage. Luckily, I have taken measures by creating a(n probably illegal) Blahaj breeding programme located presently within my basement, so I always have replacements at hand.
It's inadequate as private security, but works wonders as a distraction for any unwelcome persons within the property, should you have a cannon loaded with grapeshot on hand. I suggest trying it, and seeing if it's to your preferences when it comes to home defense.
Plus it's not smoothbore so you can't nail the neighbors dog