Beauty from within: transgender model Carmen Carrera

Being a woman is hard work. You are constantly being scrutinized and pressured to the extremities of beauty. For most women the pressure to be utterly stunning is too much to take, but for Carmen Carrera, the need for a female body triumphs all. Being a woman myself, I don’t always understand the necessary evils as well as advantages that come with already being a female, but for this courageous woman, she made the change from the outwards appearance of a man to a beautiful woman. She is ready to take on the world and continues to push the boundaries of the fashion world, since Change.org started a petition asking Victoria’s Secret (VS) to make Carmen Carrera their first transgender model. “To see a transgender model walk would show that trans-women are to be taken seriously and that Angels are selected because of their character and talent,” Marco Regalado wrote. “As a brand, Victoria’s Secret should feel comfortable marketing towards ALL types of women.”

Carmen knows she has what it takes to be a VS Angel and knows the task will not be easy; however she is willing to work for it. She knows the industry, understands the casting process and understands how much competition there is and believes she definitely meets all the requirements. Despite all the naysayers out there trying to tear her down, Carmen has stood up and smiled at them. In November of 2013 she posted a Facebook status that read, “What do I think about those opposed to the idea of the first transgender VS angel? Hmm…They said there would never be a Black President…They said gay people would never be able to marry…It’s about to be 2014 boo, it’s a new day.”

She refuses to bow down, making her one of the world’s most influential role models. When it comes to transgender models walking the runways, America is lagging behind. Brazil had a transgender model on the cover of Playboy in the ’90s and recently Andreja Pejic has debuted and become a spokesperson of transgender people everywhere. While many are thrilled to see the progress transwomen are making in the modeling world, some of the skeptics and extremely transphobic feel a bit different, expressing, “I have nothing against transgender ‘females’ but this is taking it too far. They should not be considered women no matter how many plastic surgeries they have.” Carmen responded to her opposers stating, “Once you get to that point of finally realizing who you are and be strong enough to live it, anything is possible. I want to walk the Victoria’s Secret show. I want to walk the shows all over the world, I want to be on Maxim’s 100. I want to make People magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful people,” She told the Daily Best. “Those are my goals. Because I feel like trans people need a positive representation and if I have that opportunity now, in my youth, right now, I’m going to take it. I’m going to go for it because who knows who’s watching me.”