AUDITH
25-12-2015, 04:48 PM
Inside The Life Of A Transgender Star In Taiwan:
http://www.refinery29.com/2015/12/99411/kiwebaby-taiwan-transgender-model
There's no question that Kiwebaby Zhang meets the standards to be considered a "social-media celebrity."
The 24-year-old regularly appears on TV and has a combined follower count of 250,000 people on Instagram and Facebook. Her selfies and OOTD posts regularly attract thousands of likes.
However, her impressive media credentials are only part the reason she frequently makes headlines in Taiwan: Zhang is one of the few trans people in the public eye — and arguably the most visible one in her generation.
In her native land, Zhang is called a nisemusume, a borrowed Japanese term referring to androgynous men who can pass for women with the aid of makeup and clothing. While not all nisemusume — which loosely translates as "fake lady" — identify as women, Zhang has stated that she has identified as female ever since elementary school.
Zhang got her first big break — a guest spot on University, one of Taiwan's most popular talk shows — after getting scouted at a nightclub. She then parlayed the gig into a recurring role as one of the show's college-student panelists. More offers to appear on TV rolled in, and in 2014 she became the first transgender person in Taiwan to release a music video.
One of the most recognized faces at this past LGBT Pride in Taipei, she regularly emcees at commercial events and models for women's fashion catalogs. In a phone interview, Zhang spoke to Refinery29 about growing up in Taiwan and her desire to help other trans youth find love and acceptance.
“WHEN I WAS PLAYING GAMES WHERE I HAD TO PICK A ROLE, I ALWAYS PICKED A FEMALE CHARACTER.
KIWEBABY ZHANG”
Can you talk to us about what it was like growing up in Taiwan?
"I've always identified with the opposite gender since elementary school. I loved playing with Barbies and watching anime like Sailor Moon. When I was playing games where I had to pick a role, I always picked a female character. I'd strut around in my mom's riding boots and stage runway shows in the living room.
"In middle school, I started developing crushes on guys who were upperclassmen, but I never said anything to them and would love them from a distance. When I was 17, I dressed as a woman for the first time."
(Part 1 of 3)
http://www.refinery29.com/2015/12/99411/kiwebaby-taiwan-transgender-model
There's no question that Kiwebaby Zhang meets the standards to be considered a "social-media celebrity."
The 24-year-old regularly appears on TV and has a combined follower count of 250,000 people on Instagram and Facebook. Her selfies and OOTD posts regularly attract thousands of likes.
However, her impressive media credentials are only part the reason she frequently makes headlines in Taiwan: Zhang is one of the few trans people in the public eye — and arguably the most visible one in her generation.
In her native land, Zhang is called a nisemusume, a borrowed Japanese term referring to androgynous men who can pass for women with the aid of makeup and clothing. While not all nisemusume — which loosely translates as "fake lady" — identify as women, Zhang has stated that she has identified as female ever since elementary school.
Zhang got her first big break — a guest spot on University, one of Taiwan's most popular talk shows — after getting scouted at a nightclub. She then parlayed the gig into a recurring role as one of the show's college-student panelists. More offers to appear on TV rolled in, and in 2014 she became the first transgender person in Taiwan to release a music video.
One of the most recognized faces at this past LGBT Pride in Taipei, she regularly emcees at commercial events and models for women's fashion catalogs. In a phone interview, Zhang spoke to Refinery29 about growing up in Taiwan and her desire to help other trans youth find love and acceptance.
“WHEN I WAS PLAYING GAMES WHERE I HAD TO PICK A ROLE, I ALWAYS PICKED A FEMALE CHARACTER.
KIWEBABY ZHANG”
Can you talk to us about what it was like growing up in Taiwan?
"I've always identified with the opposite gender since elementary school. I loved playing with Barbies and watching anime like Sailor Moon. When I was playing games where I had to pick a role, I always picked a female character. I'd strut around in my mom's riding boots and stage runway shows in the living room.
"In middle school, I started developing crushes on guys who were upperclassmen, but I never said anything to them and would love them from a distance. When I was 17, I dressed as a woman for the first time."
(Part 1 of 3)