It’s the 21st century. It’s not been long since people shunned the sight of a man in drag or a homosexual couple. We now live in a world where the majority of people can live their lives however they choose to. The legalisation of gay marriage and gender reassignment surgery are prime examples of how the world’s view on gender and sexuality is evolving. Even in this dynamic era, gender and sexuality are still taboo in many parts of the world. There are still small minorities closer to home that refuse to be as open-minded on the subject. Jordan Christopher Charles is a 19-year-old cross-dresser from a small town in the Scottish Borders. He has worked as a hairdresser for 4 years, and recently began work as a make-up artist. Although he will never consider gender reassignment surgery, he completely supports people who feel its what they need to do to be happy.
“Life is short, and I don’t intend on holding back any of my personality just to please someone that wouldn’t do the same for me” says Jordan, on dealing with backlash that he has received. “I’ve always felt more comfortable in make-up and women’s clothing. I told my family at the age of 12. My dad was surprisingly the best – it went straight over his head and didn’t matter to him – whereas my mum took a few years to come round.”
A lot of people within the town weren’t as understanding: “I was in McDonald’s one morning and a family were laughing at me from the moment I walked in. They were mumbling comments, and as they left they were shouting abuse. That was the worst reaction I’ve ever had from complete strangers.” This year, Jordan worked alongside a photographer who recognised his potential as a make-up artist. He’s now writing a book for ‘DIY make-up’ to help individuals who struggle to achieve certain looks. Jordan says he is content with his life despite other people’s opinions and has recently met someone. “When we got together, I was worried I’d need to change how I look for us to work. But when two people love each other, nothing need’s to change.” The fashion world of today fully embraces this era. Supermodels Lea T and Andreja Pejic are successful within the industry, and both have had gender reassignment surgery to live fully as women. Lea T has since been referred to as Givency’s muse, while Andreja has walked for the likes of Jean Paul Gaultier and Marc Jacobs.
Andreja and Lea T have both been open about the difficult decisions they’ve had to make in order to be happy. Another example of a model who has broke through the ‘gender barrier’ is Casey Legler. One of the world’s most unconventional models, Casey is the first female to be exclusively signed as a male model, although she walks for both menswear AND womenswear. In this day in age, the ignorance towards such people shouldn’t exist. Even though fashion promotes models like Pejic, they are still conformative to their appearing gender. On the catwalk, there is nothing to suggest that these models aren’t who they appear to be. Before Andreja had gender reassignment surgery, she considered herself androgynous. But why can’t we see models within high fashion who ARE cross-dressers and CAN walk for both menswear and womenswear? Jordan Christopher Charles hopes that one day, negative reactions to ‘gender bending’ will be a thing of the past. “Fuck what people have to say. It is YOUR life, and you only get it once. You’re only going to be happy if you make it happen. It’s worth it in the end.”
“I DEFINITELY BELIEVE IN PLASTIC SURGERY.. I DONT WANT TO BE AN OLD HAG. WHERES THE FUN IN THAT?” SCARLETT JOHANSSON
"nothing makes a women look so old as trying desparetely hardto look young" - coco chanel
"when i had my son, my confidence hit an plastic is an option all time low..surgery i knew that i had to do this in order to loveamyself again" but never necessity
"women must learn to love their breasts.. they dont define us they are a hhuge part of us"
“T"this is what i want and it’s more important to me to have junk in the trunk than to be healthy so i'll take that risk".
"plastic surgery is for dolls.. and i am a mannequin of life"