Recently, when designer Wendell Rodricks unveiled his collection for plus-sized men and women at a fashion week in Mumbai, Telugu girl Mona Varonica Campbell came under the spotlight, unwittingly. oozing oomph in a flowy pink and blue creation, Mona had opened the show for Wendell. And overnight, she was splashed across fashion websites, blogs, and glossies in the country, with everyone hailing her as 'India's first transgender plussize model'. Videos of Mona strutting her stuff on the runway confidently went viral.
She became the pride of LGBT circles and found herself at the centre of a dialogue on inclusivity and diversity in Indian fashion.
Admittedly, all that attention has been quite overwhelming for the Ongole girl. But she's loving every bit of it. After all, the journey to get here wasn't an easy one, she tells us. "When I heard about the auditions for plus-size models, I knew I definitely had it in me. But I didn't know whether they'd be open to transwomen too. I was over the moon when they welcomed me. With encouragement from my family, I went ahead and before I knew it, I was opening the show for one of my favourite designers."
Her family is her pillar of strength and she is their pride, says Mona. but when she first decided to 'come out' to her parents, all hell had broken loose, recalls the 28-year-old. "I was 16 when I finally accepted the fact that I did not identify with the gender I was born in. I found the courage to tell my folks the best way I could that I am a woman trapped in a man's body. It wasn't easy for them to even comprehend what I said. It was a long, slow journey of acceptance for all of us. I had to make some bold decisions. So, I told my family that I wished to consult a doctor to go through hormone replacement therapy."
Picture source and Thanks: TOI (TNN)
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