Are Sistahs Still In Fashion?

While we were all justifiably proud of our sis Isis' history making turn on America's Next Top Model, the question still remains unanswered whether she or any African-American model, biowoman or transgender will be able to consistently find work in a sadly segregated fashion industry.

After the spring Fashion Week shows in New York and the European fashion capitals of London, Paris and Milan were roundly criticized for the lack of melanin on the runways and the weak excuses and justifications for it coming from many designers, all eyes were on the recently completed round of Fashion Week shows in which designers highlighted their Spring 2009 collections.

While there was some slight improvement, there were still far more African-American women in the audience than strutting the runways.

That's despite Bethann Hardison calling two summits to discuss the issue and the all Black model July Italian VOGUE issue selling out. Tracy Reese, DKNY and Diane von Furstenberg used a large number of African-American models this season while others such as Vivienne Tam, did not use any.

"Visually on the runways, it has improved," said Hardison, "But the results are still racist. You choose the same white and you never go towards the brown or the dark."

Designer Tracy Reese said the question of diversity on the runway needs to be brought up again and again to ensure change.

"If it's too exclusionary, it puts me off," she said.

One thing I'd like to suggest is that the NAACP or some watchdog group start tracking the diversity of fashion shows. That way those of us who are inclined to spend money on designer fashions have an idea and a record of which designers are consistently hiring sistah models, which ones are dissing us, and adjust our considerable fashion dollar spending accordingly.

It would also be a good idea to keep an eye on the modeling agencies as well and see if they are doing their part in signing and getting work for sistah models.

What's sad about this situation is that if I want to see a fashion show that has African-American models strutting the runway, I'll have to wait until the EBONY Fashion Fair hits town.

Oh well, at least if I attend the EBONY Fashion Fair, some of the money I spend on that ticket will go to a local charity.

Fashion Blackout

It seems incredible to hear that in a year in which we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the EBONY Fashion Fair fashion show, been buzzing about the first transgender contestant on America's Next Top Model and had a long list of African-American women who broke ground as models that we'd even be talking in the early 21st century about how racism still impacts the fashion world.

Even if Isis manages to win the upcoming cycle of the show, she may find it hard getting work when African-American biofemale models aren't rocking the runways like they used to.

The blackout in the modelling world has gotten so bad that if you want to see an African-American model strutting her stuff on stage in a fashion show, you'd better buy a ticket to the Ebony Fashion Fair when it hits your town.

The September 2008 issue of EBONY magazine contains a fascinating Constance CR White article entitled 'Black Out-What Has Happened To The Black Fashion Models?'

The February New York fashion shows were melanin-free, and in the European fashion capitals of London, Milan and Paris the situation was far worse. The article even reported that the situation is so bad that Miuccia Prada has gone ten years without using a Black model.

It's not like they can't find them. The modeling agencies have plenty of beautiful sisters that they're willing, able and ready to book, they just aren't getting called.

It's nothing like the 90's when sisters such as Iman, Tyra Banks, Naomi Campbell, Georgianna Robertson, Veronica Webb, Roshumba, Gail O'Neill, Cynthia Bailey and Phina were getting called and getting paid as well.

They were the heirs to a legacy of doors broken down by models such as Pat Cleveland, actor Kadeem Hardison's mother Bethann Hardison, Beverly Johnson, Mounia, Wanakee, Katoucha, Lana Ogilvy, Alva Chinn, and Peggy Dillard.

Today, you can count the number of superstar Black models on one hand. Liya Kebede, Jaunel McKenzie, Chanel Iman and up and comer Jourdan Dunn.

The article delves into some causes for the blackout. Bethann Hardison points out that this problem isn't a recent phenomenon, it has been a decade in the making.

In addition to the racism in the industry, it cited the flood of Eastern European models that mirror the blond hair blue eyes beauty standard into the mix. It also touched on Asian designers preference to feature Asian models in their shows, the rising power of casting directors for fashion shows and the lack of African-Americans in decision making capacities in the fashion industry.

Whatever is causing the blackout, it needs to be fixed. The people buying those high end clothes aren't exclusively of European or Asian ancestry. The models strutting those catwalks need to reflect not only that reality, but the reality that this is a diverse, multicultural world as well.

Miss Tiffany 2008 Wrapup

TransGriot readers,
I told y'all about the annual Miss Tiffany Universe pageant that takes place in Thailand in May, but thanks to all the last minute activity swirling around me in preparation for the NE Transgender Pride weekend I didn't let you know who won.

The judges had a tough job deciding which one of these thirty beautiful ladies would wear the crown, but Miss Tiffany Universe 2008 is 21 year old college student Kangsadarn Wongdusadeekul or Nong Noeng. She received 100,000 baht ($3000 USD) and a Honda Jazz in addition to the crown and all the assorted gifts that come with this title.





First runner up was Nannapas Wechakul or Nong Golf, who received 40,000 baht ($1200 USD) and also received a trophy and sash. Second runner up was Pailin Denfahnapapol or Nong Bank who received 20,000 baht ($600 USD) a sash and a trophy.

Her father is a Thai army officer and she grew up on a military base. She actually tried to join the army, but as she told the audience, "Last year, I went to register as a soldier but my figure had changed, so the government did not let me."

"We are beautiful - so we have no need to be soldiers," she went on. Transgender people are barred from serving in the Thai military despite a law classifying them as “mentally disturbed” being overturned in March.

The nationally televised pageant is one with a purpose. In addition to promoting Pattaya, 100 miles southeast of Bangkok, as a worldwide tourist destination and the Tiffany's transgender cabaret, it also serves as a fundraiser for several Thai charities.







Nong Noeng will be the Thai representative later this year at the 2008 Miss Universal Queen pageant which is hosted around October by Tiffany's in Pattaya as well. That pageant is open to transwomen around the world, and Nong Noeng has the task of trying to keep that increasingly popular and prestigious title at home.



But the major goal of the Miss Tiffany Universe pageant is promoting acceptance of Thai transwomen and showcasing their beauty and intelligence.



Miss Tiffany 2004, Treechada Malayaporn, known as Polly, is an example of the growing success of those efforts to improve the images of Thai transwomen. She is now a successful actress and television presenter and was on hand during the night's festivities as an awards presenter.



Everyone thought I was a real girl before Miss Tiffany but after that everybody knew me as I am, a ladyboy," Polly said. "Everything changed. Now I'm studying international law. I just want to be someone who is clever and socially accepted."



And that's what your transgender sisters (and brothers) in Thailand and around the world want as well.

What Do You Mean Black Transwomen Are Ugly?

One thing my biosisters have told me over the years is that we transwomen and they have far more in common with each other than the things that separate us. In many ways, we share the same trials and tribulations they do.

One of those things as I pointed out in a previous post is the dissing of African-American beauty. I got another taste of it as I was recently visiting a transgender dating website.

While I was lurking, there was a discussion thread in which the guys started talking about the ethnicity of the transwomen they were attracted to, liked to date and the qualities they thought made them attractive.

When one of the guys noted in his post that he liked African-American transwomen, one person posted a derisive comment about it which he punctuated with the words, 'they're ugly and look like men!'

Excuse me?

After a few transsisters who were members of this particular online community blasted him for his ignorance, I signed out and started pondering what would make this person say that.

One of the factors is that beauty has been defined for centuries in a Eurocentric context. We saw an example just last week when Maxim magazine published their list of what they considered the 100 most beautiful women. Only six Black women made that list, and none of them were in the Top Ten. (FYI they were 14 Beyonce, 15 Rihanna, 37 Ashanti, 42 Zoe Saldana, 63 Selita Ebanks, 72 Gabrielle Union, 77 Alicia Keys)

No Meagan Good, no Halle Berry, no Tyra Banks, not even Miss USA 2008 Crystle Stewart...you get the picture.

Maybe if Mr. Black Transwoman Beauty Critic stepped away from his computer and quit surfing the adult websites, he'd get a little 'ejumacation' in terms of the varied beauty of my transsistahs. I have homegirls who if I didn't know their status, would have never guessed they were born boys. They would take great offense as I do to this person's ignorant characterization of us as 'ugly' and 'looking like men'.

It would also be a great surprise for this person and his friends who may harbor the same negative stereotypes to discover that transwomen don't have to come from Thailand, Brazil, the Philippines, Mexico or assorted European countries to be considered beautiful. As an FYI to Mr. Black Transwoman Hater, the Brazilian transwomen you think are so 'exotic' looking have the same African bloodlines that I and my African-American sisters do.



If this person has the time to roll up to Chicago on Labor Day weekend, I'd suggest that he check out the latest edition of the Miss Continental Pageant that nine sistahs have won over its twenty plus year history. I'd like to point out that sistahs have won the last three titles in a row.

I haven't even touched on the other pageant systems that Black transwomen are competitive in, much less the ballroom community that's a showcase for our beauty, creativity and talent. Some of my sisters went from walking ballroom runways to fashion runways as well.

One of the reasons we have Black run ones such as the Miss Black Universe, Duval and the other Black transgender pageant systems is because the negative African-American beauty perceptions that were espoused by this person are sadly part of the dominant culture. The end result is a perception in our GLBT subset of it that results in Black transwomen not getting fair shakes in judging when they compete in predominately white GLBT pageants.

Far from being 'ugly' or 'looking like men', my sisters and I run the gamut in skin tones from vanilla creme to the deepest darkest ebony hue. We vary in height from a petite 5 foot 1 to a statuesque 6 foot 2 and up. We have luscious and dangerous curves over every square inch of our bodies. We can wear any fabric from silk to leather and it looks sexy on us. When we do our hair in the various lengths and styles to complement what Mama, nature and hormones gave us, you pause while out come the claws from the insecure women that don't measure up.

Yes, my sisters and I are smart, talented, beautiful and strong women. Maybe the reason this person uttered that statement is because he wasn't man enough to step to us with the class and dignity it's going to take to capture our hearts.

There are a lot of words you can use to describe me and my transsisters. But 'ugly' ain't one of them.



TransGriot Note: Women in photos are Tracy Africa, actress Meagan Good, Stasha Sanchez

Beauty Shop Confessions

One of the things that I was apprehensive about after I started transition in 1994 was finding a beauty shop to hook up my hair. I had the task of not only finding a beautician that would be open minded enough to understand what we transwomen have to deal with, but also have a flexible enough schedule to deal with my airline work schedule. I was also concerned about whether or not I would fit in with her current clientele.

I didn't have to go very far. Ironicially it was the one my ex-girlfriend went to. Sadat Busari's shop at the time was right next door in the strip shopping center to my old apartment complex on Bissonnet. I started going to A Cut Above and was a faithful customer of hers until the time I moved to Da Ville in September 2001.

One of the things about African-American male culture is that the barbershop was the center of the universe. It's where guys talked politics, listened as other guys discussed women, bragged about their sporting prowess, sports knowledge and relationships. The seniors gathered at a table in the back and played dominos while waiting for their turn in the barber chair.

I grew up with a female barber. One thing about my hometown is that I had a lot of strong women in my life and Miss Charlene was one of them. She'd been cutting my hair at her Sunnyside area shop on Scott Street since I was 6 years old. She chewed my behind if my grandfather Leo reported to her that my grades slipped. She was the one that taught me how to play dominos and I used to partner with to play against and beat the old heads. I had been accurately pontificating on a wide variety of subjects since I was 10 and my thoughts were respected by the young and old denizens of that shop.

Some of my apprehension was generated because I wondered what the atmosphere was like in a beauty shop and whether I'd fit in. My mom, aunt and sisters always went to my grandmother Lou Ella's house to get their hair hooked up on Saturdays and I was the person who frequently ended up driving them over there once I got my driver's license.

I discovered that it's not too dissimilar to what I'd experienced in my old barbershop. While we didn't play dominos in A Cut Above, I was right in my element when we discussed politics, books we'd read and talked about relationships. It was also a lot of fun for me because I was in discovery mode (and still am) when it came to life as an African-American woman and I reveled in being there.

I discovered that some sistahs could be just as raunchy as the guys were sometimes when it came to discussing sex. One of the customers used to give us details about how she worked her boyfriend over the night before. I was amused to find out later her boyfriend worked for CAL like I did. Since some of the customers knew my T-woman status, I ended up breaking down their relationship problems and giving them advice based on the knowledge gained from living on the other side of the gender fence and knowing how the male thought processes work.

If it was just me and Sadat in the shop, sometimes we trade details on our lives. I learned about her childhood growing up in the Biafra region of Nigeria, dealing with being a wife, mother and business owner and being part of the Nigerian community in Houston. She heard me talk about my family, some of my airport exploits, my desire to see less bickering between African-Americans and our Nigerian cousins and my latest, sometimes humorous discoveries I made about navigating a gender change.

And yeah, Sadat hooked up my hair in the process to the point where I was always getting compliments on it.

Unpretty

You can buy your hair if it won’t grow
You can fix your nose if he says so
You can buy all the make-up that MAC can make
But if you can’t look inside you
Find out who am I, too
Be in a position to make me feel so damn unpretty


TLC has a dynamite song from their Fan Mail CD called 'Unpretty' that talks about self-esteem. All women from time to time have those issues and transwomen are no exception.

Since we transpeople get bombarded by so much negativity from society, if you don't have the self-love and rock solid self confidence you can easily fall victim to negative karma in terms of how you feel about yourself inside and out.

Combine that with the knowledge as African-Americans that our women are regarded as some of the most beautiful on the planet. You can easily see where that can lead one to fall into the trap of believing that you can't possibly measure up to that standard. It also causes some transwomen to do things like inject free silicone in our bodies in an attempt to live up to that beauty standard as well.

The unpretty feelings are especially acute in the early stages of your transition when the hormones haven't had time to work their magic on your body and you are very much caught between the male and female realm.

Even after you get through the rough spots of early transition and have lived your life for several years as a female, there are times when some snide comment, an unfamiliar situation, dating, a negative comment questioning your gender identity or looking at government-issued ID documents that have a gender code on them that don't match your current gender presentation can reawaken all those awkward, depressing, unpretty feelings all over again.

I've been transitioned for over a decade now and I still have my moments from time to time. I can't imagine what it's like for the transkids now.

Then again, maybe I can.


I remember early in my transition when I told some friends that I wasn't going to allow myself to get caught up in that 'obsessing over my beauty' mentality. It didn't take long before I was sitting in the nail shop twice a month, getting the hair done, doing facials and clay masques once a week and all the other things that sistahs do to make themselves look presentable to the male species.

Combine that with the fact that I come from a long line of historians. I'm acutely aware of the role that African-American women played and continue to play in not only shaping our society but looking fly while doing it. To know that's part of the legacy that you are now charged with representing honorably can be daunting at times and leads me to wonder if I'm doing enough to uphold it.

I guess because I lived the first quarter of my life stuck in a male body I'm a little more sensitive to the outside packaging and care about presenting a good image both inside and out. Early on I felt like I had to be on my 'A' game in terms of my gender presentation. As I got more comfortable in my skin and learned who Monica was and what she stood for, I gradually got away from putting that kind of pressure on myself.

For the most part I do a pretty good job of living up to being the Phenomenal Transwoman that I am but I have to be honest. I have my moments when I fight to avoid feeling unpretty and fail.

Sometimes I end up wallowing in it for a day or so, scarfing up Blue Bell homemade vanilla and listening to Sade CD's. Other times I just call my homegirls who give me a swift kick in the rear, a verbal pep talk and tell me to get over it.

With the constant beauty messages that we are bombarded with, it's hard not to feel unpretty at times, but as long as you love yourself and are satisfied with your life those unpretty periods don't last long.

Designer Transition-A Sistah's Wish List

Rapid scientific progress is being made in terms of mapping human DNA thanks to the Human Genome Project. It has unlocked the secrets of which parts of the DNA strand control various aspects of human development, personality, gender and even which base pair combinations trigger susceptibility to certain diseases. It has led to gene based therapies to combat those diseases as well.

And for better or worse, its opened the door to human cloning as well.

I'm in a sci-fi kinda mood today. Let's presume that scientific knowledge has progressed to the point where I can not only transition, but look like any woman on the planet past or present and keep my personality traits. I'm happy with the way I look (about 99% of the time) but if that option were available to me, who would I choose to resemble excluding friends or family members?

My Top 30


1. Halle Berry

2. Beyonce

3. Phyllis Hyman

4. Jayne Kennedy

5. Dorothy Dandridge

6. Lena Horne

7. Diahann Carroll

8. Florence Griffith-Joyner

9. Vanessa L. Williams

10. Phylicia Rashad


11. Tyra Banks

12. Beverly Johnson

13. Meagan Good

14. Gabrielle Union

15. Jasmine Guy

16. Coretta Scott King

17. Toni Braxton

18. Pam Grier

19. Jada Pinkett Smith

20. Vivica A. Fox


21. BernNadette Stanis

22. Denise Matthews (aka Vanity)

23. Yolanda Adams

24. Aaliyah

25. Janet Jackson

26. Iman

27. LisaRaye McCoy

28. Toccara Jones

29. Sade

30. Mpule Kwelagobe

The Miss Black America Pageant

As I mentioned last month I'm a pageant fanatic. My love for them also extends to an event that was 'must see TV' when I was growing up, the Miss Black America Pageant.

The pageant was created by J. Morris Anderson as a protest noting the dearth of African-American contestants in the Miss America pageant. The first one was held on August 17, 1968 and went national the next year with contestants from 42 states participating. A decade before Vanessa Williams broke through and won Miss America, sistahs were showing the world their grace, beauty, intelligence and talent on the Miss Black America stage. Many Miss Black America contestants have gone on to greater success in other arenas, such as Oprah Winfrey, Kathleen Bradley, T'Keyah Crystal Keymah, BernNadette Stanis and CeCe Peniston. The 1969 pageant, held at Madison Square Garden served as the venue for the Jackson 5's first national television performance.

I also love the Oath of Positivity that all Miss Black America contestants take that was also penned by pageant founder J. Morris Anderson:

My physical appearance will always reveal my positive mental attitude toward life.

My head held high will indicate the mental and spiritual strength that lives within me.

My straight, cheerful manner of walking will exemplify the positive direction my life has taken.

My eloquent manner of talking will always relate the positive mental, spiritual and physical forces that reside within me.

My illustrious smile will always express the pleasure I receive from living.

The positive look in my eyes will always indicate the self confidence and positive spirits inside me.

THEREFORE:
I CAN perform any task;
I CAN sell any product;
I CAN succeed in any job;
I CAN cause any relationship to thrive;
I CAN overcome any obstacle;
I CAN accomplish any objective.
I AM a positive mental, spiritual and physical person.
I AM spiritually capable of succeeding.
I CAN successfully compete on any mental level;
I WILL succeed on any physical level of activity in which I engage.

It was also great for kids of my generation to see the women that they grew up with recognized for their beauty and talent just like the white women whose images we were bombarded with on a daily basis.

The pageant was sorely needed in an era where you still had some Black parents who idolized white standards of beauty. Some forced their kids to walk around with clothespins constricting their noses in an attempt to get the 'narrow' white nose instead of our broad African ones. Too many of us growing up heard the comments of our elders and our peeps in which dark-skinned people were shunned and light skinned people with 'good' hair were the beauty gold standard.

The pageant helps remind all of us that all Black women are beautiful, no matter whether our skin color is vanilla creme light or ebony dark.

Who Has The World's Most Beautiful Transwomen? Part 3

In this post I'm going to concentrate on transwomen inhabiting Europe.

We transpeeps need to give the Europeans major shout-outs. They have led the way in terms of the medical and scientific research, the generous medical plans that cover transitions in some countries and the groundbreaking legal statutes that protect our rights and make it easy to change documents to match presentations. Sweden passed TG laws back in 1972, followed by Germany in 1981, Italy in 1982, the Netherlands in 1985, Turkey in 1988, Britain and Spain in 2004.

The transpeople that garnered early media attention also came from this region of the world. Christine Jorgenson was the first transwoman to get international media attention, but her initial surgery was done in Denmark. After Christine, it was the European transwomen who dominated much of the international media attention through the 60s and 70's.

We'll start with the Dutch girls. They get to start early on hormones that are covered by national health plans. Romy Haag was one of the early Dutch transwomen who after transitioning at 33, has made a career for herself in Germany.

The current poster child for Dutch transwomen is Kelly van der Veer. She had her surgery at 19 and has been a fixture on Dutch TV and in Dutch popular culture ever since.

Britain not only has covered transgender issues and grappled with them since the 60's, their NHS granted Angel Paris-Jordan SRS at age 17.

Our British cousins have also had a few transwomen grab international headlines as well. April Ashley was the transgender poster girl in the 60's and was involved in a groundbreaking court case. Her divorce from Arthur Corbett led to an unfortunate ruling that hampered the ability of British transwomen until the 2004 passage of the Gender Recognition Act to have their marriages recognized and change their identity documents to match current gender presentation. The case also reared its ugly head here in the States in adverse marriage rulings in the 90's.

The British transgender it girl torch was passed to Caroline Cossey in the 70's and 80's, and it remains to be seen in the early 21st century who will be the next famous British transwoman.

You knew the French would not be outdone with Coccinelle and Amanda Lear to point to with Gallic pride in this beautiful transwoman debate. Coccinelle rivaled Christine Jorgensen back in the day in terms of world media attention and after her SRS in Morocco in 1958 became extremely popular in France. She was also an activist who fought for transgender rights in France as well.

Amanda Lear played the 'is-she-is-she-not-a-transwoman' coy role with the world media for decades even though she performed with Coccinelle and April Ashley at the same Paris transgender cabarets.


The Germans produce supermodels, so it would stand to reason that they would also have beautiful transgender frauleins to boast about. They did much of the early research in transsexuality under the world famous sexologist Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld that led to Lili Elbe's pioneering surgeries in 1931. It's also no accident at one of the Nazis first public book burnings happened outside of Hirschfeld's offices. Germany is also home to what some people believe is the youngest transwoman to transition in Kim, who began her transition at age 12.

Greek transwomen can point with Hellenic pride to their renowned poster girl Jenny Hiloudaki, who burst onto the world's radar screens in the 90's. She began her transition at age 13 and had SRS at age 20. She became one of Greece's top models complete with a jet setting high society lifestyle to go with it. She was even at the center of a Greek political scandal because of her 1997 affair with District Attorney George Sakelaropoulos which was eagerly followed in the Greek press, was named Greek Woman of the Year in 2000.

While Italy is one place the Brazilian transwomen call their home away from home, the Italians have some beautiful home grown transwomen as well, and Eva Robin's is their poster girl. Eva's story is interesting because she says she developed extremely feminine features and began developing breasts at a young age naturally, but that's been disputed, along with whether or not she's had SRS.

What isn't disputed is the fact that however it happened, she's got it going on in the beauty department and has parlayed it into a nice career as an actress model and commentator.

Spain is a relative newbie in terms of passing progressive legislation for transsexuals, having done so in 2004, but not in producing beautiful transwomen. Bibiana Fernandez also known by her stage name of Bibi Andersen, is a statuesque actress and model who has appeared in several films produced by world renowned director Pedro Almodovar.

The nations that were behind the Iron Curtain like Russia, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Serbia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary and Romania have transpeople there, and as those communities emerge and more info comes out, they too will probably join in this debate as to who has the world's most beautiful transwomen.

Who Has The World's Most Beautiful Transwomen?-Part 2

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as the old saying goes. What I'm doing in this series of posts is trying to objectively ascertain what part of the world has the most beautiful transwomen. While that's an argument that will rage long after I finish this series, it'll definitely be a fun one as well.

In Part 2 I'm going to concentrate on the Americas, North, Central and South.

The Mexican transwomen have the same advantages as their Thai sisters. Over-the counter availability of hormones, petite body builds that translate well into feminine proportions, some androgynous biomale characteristics and a semi-tolerant culture despite being a Roman Catholic country.

They also have that delicious blend of Latin and indigenous Indian features. Some of the girls who were born there have emigrated to the United States. They congregate in the transgender meccas of LA, San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Atlanta, Chicago and New York.

The Puerto Rican and Dominican transgirls combine the best aspects of being Latina with African influences. They are concentrated mostly in the New York and Miami areas.



Some people consider the Brazilians the most beautiful transwomen in the world, even over the Thais.

The Brazilians in addition to being a Roman Catholic country have the gender bending vibe running through their culture thanks to Carnaval. It is also the plastic surgery capital of South America. Because of economic and social conditions at home Brazilian transwomen also migrate to other parts of the world as well.



In the States, being that it's a large country we have various groups we can throw into this mix. The Hawaiian girls, African-Americans, Latinas, Asians and Caucasian ones from various parts of the country. Depending on the cultural group some get to start in their early to late teens while other end up starting transition in early adulthood. Even with that late start, we Americans and our Canadian cousins can still produce transwomen that rank up there with the world's best.



You do have girls that are increasingly coming from the Central American nations of Panama, who also share the African influences like their Brazilian and African-American counterparts, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guatemala. There are also the girls of Chile, Argentina, Venezuela and Peru along with girls from the Caribbean island nations as well.

Who Has The World's Most Beautiful Transwomen?-Part 1

The Miss Tiffany Universe pageant that occurred earlier this month got me thinking about this question: Who does have the most beautiful transwomen on the planet?

When I first conceived this post it was just going to be a single one, but this has turned out to be a subject that's going to require multiple posts that I'm going to break up by regions. I'll start with Asia.


The Thais have argued for the last decade that they do and they have miles of video, the plastic surgeons, and pageants to back them up. Thai girls also start with the advantages of a culture that tolerates them and access to over-the-counter hormones that they can start in their early teens. They have the additional advantage of slight body builds that are enhanced after female hormones work their magic.

The end result is a transwoman that is so convincingly female that in some cases the only way you can tell them apart from bio Thai women is their voices if they didn't start HRT before testosterone impacted their vocal chords.



The girls from Korea, Japan and the Philippines would beg to differ with that assessment. They have the same advantages of slight body builds that morph into convincing feminine presentations as well and somewhat tolerant cultures.

Harisu is one of the more well known transwomen from Korea. She transitioned at 18 and in 2002 became the second person in South Korea to legally change her gender. She not only is a model and singer but has a few endorsements with several Asian companies as well. She recently got married to her longtime boyfriend May 19. You also have the Korean pop group Lady representing which is made up of four Korean transwomen. They were the four chosen from an audition of transwomen that numbered in the hundreds. The group's formation was inspired by Harisu's popularity.

The Chinese are also in this mix as well as their cousins in Taiwan and Hong Kong. In China transsexuality has ceased to be a taboo topic. 500 transwomen have had SRS since 2004 according to government statistics. There are also increasing numbers of Chinese transmen as well.Chen Lili is the unofficial poster girl for Chinese transwomen. She's a model who was the 2004 Miss Universe China and was set to compete in the Miss Universe Pageant being held in Quito, Ecuador. Although there was no rule at the time keeping transwomen from entering, the Miss Universe organization barred her and ruled that only biowomen can compete.



The Filipinas boast of a blend of Latin, Asian and Pacific island traits combined with a somewhat tolerant culture despite the fact it's a Roman Catholic country. Many Philippine transwomen also transition early as well.



From the 50's until the mid 80's the Asian capital for transgender women wasn't centered in Pattaya but Singapore's Bugis Street. Until it was torn down by Singaporean authorities it was world renowned as a tourist mecca and the place where beautiful transwomen hung out on a nightly basis.

It was also a popular R&R stop for British, American and Aussie military personnel. The construction of a rail station ended the carnival like culture that had built up around the area to the lament of locals and tourists. Singaporean officials tried to recreate it but the efforts failed. The 1995 movie Bugis Street captures that bygone era.

In Muslim Malaysia and Indonesia you have the warias. The term is a blend of the Indonesian words for man and woman. They too have beauty contests and back in 2005 one of them in Jakarta was interrupted by hardline fundie Muslims who crashed the party. The winners of the 2004 and 2005 Miss Waria International pagenat moved on to compete in the Miss International Queen.


The debate continues in Part 2