A gentle and strong Glow
TRANSGENDER: ACTIVIST, MODEL AND YOUTUBE STYLIST
‘It’s fulfilling to finally live as my full self.’
Tshepiso Makhele
In a society that pressures women to act and be a certain way, activist, model and YouTube stylist Glow Makatsi is breaking the stereotypes and stripping normative labels that marginalise those who don’t “fit into society’s beauty mould,” motivating women from all walks of life to be brave and unapologetic about who and what they are, and also challenges young women to ask themselves what it means to be brave enough to love yourself.
Growing up as Vusimuzi, and male, Makatsi says she had to find herself.
She relates how this was not such an easy journey, not for any such young black men in South Africa.
First she needed to find a new name to suit her transgender identity. “I was having a conversation with a close friend who said how Glow would be such a nice name for a celebrity baby, so I decided then and there that it was my new name.”
She says, though, she remains a firm sjpporter of African names. And she saw a connection between the name Glow and her Zulu name Vusimuzi. The latter in Zulu means “wake up the nations”, and since she wakes up every day thanks to the sun shining or glowing, she went for the name Glow.
“Being transgender is a journey. For the most part, people don’t see transwomen as women. This is maybe because people are socialised to believe boys should act in a certain way,” she said.
“People still misgender us and at times you just get people who are utterly disrespectful. The challenge for me is more internal though, because I’m usually a very contented person. I internalise everything, and as soon as I walk out I know that I have to deal with all sorts of people and reactions.”
Makatsi, however, says it has not been all doom and gloom, pointing out how happy she is for trusting her heart and starting her transgender journey.
“Despite the challenges, the journey has been fulfilling, even though some days I just want to disappear because of the many people that put me down.”
Makatsi says the activist work, modelling and YouTube styling has helped her remain focussed and to love herself even more.
“The love I have for myself is both gentle and strong. I’m very gentle with myself, but as much as I try to exude positive energy, there are people who bring negative forces to my life, that just forces me to protect myself.”
Speaking as a fashionista, Glow says her love for styling and clothes is something she had grown up with. “I love creating new looks. I’m generally a creative person. It’s how I express myself and stand out. It’s my way of communicating. It is a form of self-expression.” Makatsi believes there is not enough conversation taking place around gender and sexuality in South Africa – hence she had no mirror to look into and to see her own potential during her growing-up years. “There are not a lot of transgender models in Mzansi, but I appreciate brands like Brutal Fruit, who are helping to educate people to better understand women and how the experiences we have as women should unite us. These are brands that push the liberating narrative.” Brutal Fruit recently launched the #bravetoloveme campaign, that encourages women all over the world to stop seeking valida- tion and brutally love who they are, and bravely own up to their true identity Makatsi and a few other celebrities were chosen as influencers for the campaign.