After Being Rejected By Modelling Agencies For Not Being “A Real Woman”, Trans Model Archie Singh To Represent India In Miss International Trans 2021

After Being Rejected By Modelling Agencies For Not Being “A Real Woman”, Trans Model Archie Singh To Represent India In Miss International Trans 2021

The glamour industry thrives on beauty but often it is encumbered by the pre-existing notions of sizes, shape and even gender. The society refuses to budge or ease into the idea that beauty isn’t one-size-fits-all. There have been talks about inclusivity and diversity but it’s merely in theory and in reality, it is still a pipe dream not only in India, but globally as well. The lack of representation of transgender community in the beauty pageants, modelling and entertainment industry is proof enough that the traditional concepts of beauty still dominate the fashion world.

However, there are some women who are not only smashing the glass ceiling but paving the path for others by making a name for themselves. Archie Singh is a trans model who has been rejected by modelling industry all her life for not being a real woman. However, not only she is a successful model and face of a brand, but is all set to represent India in the Miss International Trans 2021 competition.

The 22-year-old model says that being a transgender has been the biggest hurdle in making a career in modelling and has faced a lot of rejection which were not based on her looks or skills, but her gender. Talking about the discrimination she faced by the modelling agencies, she told News 18, “I am a woman, and I’m trans but I’m equally a woman. My official government ID recognizes me as a woman, and I have had gender-reassignment surgery, I told them. But they didn’t listen. They wanted a ‘woman who wasn’t trans’, but didn’t want to say that.” She further added, “I never got rejected because of my skill or my looks. It was because I was trans.”

 

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Also Read: Angel Lama Smashes The Glass Ceiling By Becoming First Trans Woman To Be A Miss Universe Nepal Finalist. Beauty Pageants Need To Be Diverse

The attention in modelling and beauty pageants have always been given to the sexes deemed acceptable by the society, while the transgender community have always struggled to find a place for them in the glamour world. This is when we have successful transgender models like Nitasha Biswas and Anjali Lama ruling the ramp for biggest fashion designers. It is strange to the say the least that there is still a hesitation in the modelling industry to cast a transgender woman. The discrimination against these models is solely based on gender, which is really disappointing. About time modelling and fashion industry at large becomes more inclusive and diverse in true sense.

With her fame and work, Singh seeks to make people more accepting and open to the trans people and break the stigma around the third gender. Since she was a child, she was aware she was a woman and didn’t want to pretend to be someone she was not. She came out to her family when she was 17 years old and they supported her, which is great.  She got the gender assignment surgery soon after and started modelling. “Before my modelling career, I was doing social work – I was working to spread awareness in people, about trans realities and trying to break the stigma about us. Modeling just gave me a platform to do that and more. It became my passion,” she said. She went on to win the Miss Trans India competition, following which she would be competing on the international stage for the Miss International Trans 2021 to be held in Colombia. She has also walked the ramp as a showstopper and is making her mark in the industry even after going through judgement, discrimination and rejections. She is truly an inspiration.

Also Read: Miss Trans Queen India 2020 Shaine Soni Says She Found Comfort In Fashion And Acceptance In The Industry

Anjali Agarwal

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