Fashion / Nepal’s First Transgender Model At Lakme Fashion Week

Nepal’s First Transgender Model At Lakme Fashion Week

Fashion Mar 01, 2018

by Nomaan Khan

A transgender model’s dream turned reality after two strong denials at Lakmé Fashion Week in Mumbai.

Born as the fifth son in a poor family from rural Nepal, Anjali Lama would have never thought she would walk the ramp for designers like Soumyadeep Dutta, Nakita Singh, Jai Ramrakhiani, Amit Aggarwal, and others.

The 32-year-old model’s journey has not been easy, and this wasn’t the first time Lama auditioned for LFW.

India Transgender Model — **Anjali Lama backstage at LFW in Mumbai.** Photo Credit: AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool

“Be it for a job or an accommodation, nothing comes easy to us,” Lama told BuzzFeed. “I got multiple rejections for just being a transgender woman.”

Lama struggled with coming out as feeling deeply female and living a real identity; without family support.

“I realised early on that males are the favoured gender. Turning from a boy into a girl is blasphemous to some minds,” said Lama. “My family, friends and relatives were not all supportive. All of them wanted to ask the same question: ‘why’.”

anjali-lama-trans-model — **Lama is Nepal’s first transgender model.** Photo Credit: www.pahichan.com

An encounter with Blue Diamond Society, an advocacy group for Nepal’s LGBT community, turned Lama’s life around and she did a magazine cover shoot for The Voice of Woman.

She gained acceptance on the ramp for the first time ever at LFW; not as a showstopper but walking alongside all the other models.

“I’m very, very excited. I’m trying to just enjoy this moment,” Lama said to LGBTQ Nation. “This is a dream come true. LFW has been working on being more inclusive, season after season, and I am happy that a platform like this exists in India.”

Lama’s debut has made headlines around the world, which means greater visibility and and an ode to equal rights for the transgender community.

“Fame changes perceptions and helps your voice be recognised amid the clutter. I am continuously trying to change the overall self-evaluation criteria of individuals like me in my community.” said Lama. “Education about the ‘third gender’ should be brought into focus. We seem to be living in a two-gender world, rights of transgenders should be protected to benefit us at large.”

Anjali Lama Transgender — **Lama finds nothing but acceptance at LFW.** Photo Credit: www.rediff.com

The model is proud to be changing history with her fashion career and hopes her endeavours can serve as courage for those who need it.

“India is (more) developed than where I come from, and people here are, by and large, helpful. This triggered my decision to come to India and explore career opportunities,” said Lama. “Fashion is a strong subject and it has the possibility to turn around the overall environment and psychology of even the most rigid minds.”

Main Image Photo Credit: www.indiatimes.com

Nomaan Khan

Author

After spending some time in a completely different field, Nomaan decided to drop it all and switch to Mohawk College to pursue his longtime interest in the world of Journalism. His experience working in multimedia platforms has helped him develop exceptional skills in thinking on his feet, being ...

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Nepal’s First Transgender Model At Lakme Fashion Week

by Nomaan Khan

Nomaan Khan

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