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| Lea T |
The wonderful thing about art is that you can get inspiration and see beauty in almost anything. Through the years fashion and androgyny has gone hand-in-hand. Androgyny, class, means not fitting into neither the female nor male gender. Our pop icons, from Grace Jones and Boy George to Michael Jackson and Prince have made this style popular. Designers have clamored over to female and male models who have looked as if they could be either/or to model their creations. Call it edgy. Call it progressive. There are those that believe that fitting into traditional gender roles inhibits a person. There are actual survey polls and statistics to support the theory. In the fashion world, androgyny gets you noticed. Twiggy revolutionized fashion with her pixie cut and bright eyes (a cut that I think is still hot). Fast forward to today and you have featured on "Real Housewives of Atlanta", men sporting skinny jeans and pumps. Is it cross dressing? Is it drag? Everyone I know has a certain idea of people in the fashion industry. A common perception is that the male models are gay, uber-handsome figures that send men and women into a frenzy when they see them. Thats the problem with stereotypes. You put one face on everything and forget about the rest. Allow me to introduce another aspect of the model: the transgender model. Transgender identity has been a relevant part of society for years and across many cultures around the world. It was said that Bagoas, a eunuch, was a favorite of Alexander the Great because of his feminine beauty. Models like Lea T have become a new phenom Born, Leo, Lea always identified with being female. Since "making the switch", the Brazilian beauty has caused quite a stir being featured in a Givenchy campaign and posing nude in Italian Vogue ( I'll leave that imagery to your imagination...just because I can show it doesn't mean that I will). She was even able to grab Oprah's attention and appeared on her show for an extensive interview. Lea T is not the only one, Tyra Banks made a few heads turn a couple of years ago by accepting a transgender model wannabe, Isis, onto her show: a first for the America's Next Top Model franchise. Isis did pretty well through the show until her personal barriers got in the way of her performance and she was kicked off. Another interesting face I've been seeing is that of Andrej Pejic. Who? You ask. This young man was seen strutting the runway for Jean Paul Gaultier in Paris and had everyone thinking who is that beautiful blond bombshell? Surprise! She is a he, a very beautiful he and has made his name sporting both women's and menswear. With more and more people expressing their uncoventional sexuality, it leaves me thinking. The lines that have separated male from female have become blurred. Long gone are the gay or straight; male or female identification cards. Remember when a male/female model was just a RuPaul? Whoever said art imitates life was revolutionary. This world isn't just filled with gay or straight; male or female. This world is filled with all sorts of variations and alternatives to "conventional" thinking. This is not just in fashion, but its in every other aspect of the human condition. Who are we to put a label on it or shun it by calling it freakish or weird? Open up your minds and see the beauty beyond conventional. There's nothing more beautiful than a human being able to express his or her or whatever's own truth.
What's your take on trangender beauty?
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| Andrej Pejic: no those are not breasts, thats his chest. He's a man. |
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