Transgender contestants on The Face Thailand
Whether The Face Thailand’s new policy to welcome transgender contestants is just a marketing ploy remains to be seen
When it was announced that the popular model-seeking reality show The Face Thailand — which is coming back for its third season — is accepting transgender women into competition for the first time, it caused a joyous glee in many parts of the LGBT community. Another step towards gender equality is always cause for celebration.
“Everyone is equally human. And they deserve equal opportunities. If they’re talented, then we welcome them,” said The Face Thailand’s executive producer Piyarat Kaljaruek in his interview with Channel 3 of the reason behind this change in criteria.
From the popularity of the show’s previous season, the number of women attending an audition held at Siam Paragon two weeks ago shot to over 1,000, as opposed to just a few hundred last year. Skinny, plussize, white, tan, straight, homosexual, cisgender (non-transgender), transgender — hopeful women from across the country converged for a chance to be the next It Girl in Thai showbiz.
Among them was Chada Wannapong, 31, a transwoman who aspires to become a model and actress. Back home in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Chada teaches Thai to foreigners, and also campaigns for more usage of Thai traditional wear in everyday life. She was beyond ecstatic when she found out the show is now embracing gender diversity.
“I can feel a new freedom is upon us. A new equality is happening in our country. It’s celebratory that the stage of showbiz will soon welcome more talented ‘women’ in the field of acting and modelling,” said Chada, who believes transgender models can win this competition.
“Our looks and talents are second to none,” she added.
The Face Thailand is, by no means, the first women-only competition that extends its door towards transwomen. Last year, model Loiza Lamers made history by becoming the first transgender winner of Holland’s Next Top Model (Cycle 8) as well as being the first trans winner of the entire international Top Model franchise. Everyone indeed has a shot at winning. And it’s not wrong to keep an optimistic view that all contestants would have equal opportunities at showing off their skills, and that they’d be judged without prejudice in order to find the best model regardless of their gender identity.
But while the LGBT community celebrates this inclusion, some are not too happy about the criteria change.
“It’s unfair,” said Grace, a female university student who went to this year’s audition but didn’t make the cut. “The Face has always been about women. It’s not that we’re afraid we’re not as pretty as a katoey or anything. But, if the producers really want to hype up their ratings, why don’t they just make a separate show?
“Or, don’t make it about katoey at all. They already have Miss Tiffany’s for that.”
Chada is rather puzzled why some people would think this is unfair.
“It’s not easy at all for transwomen to look and appear the way we do. Some of our physical features aren’t as soft and delicate as those born a female. So, we have to practise our skills to make up for what we lack. That means we compete using our own personal talent. And since women and transwomen are both talented, why do we have to mull over which side has better advantages than others?”
It also becomes a question whether this strategic move by The Face Thailand is really about giving opportunities for transgender women, or a slick marketing game. Regardless of the producers’ true intention, it seems to have succeeded in both.
“Society’s awareness has been raised,” said Kangwan Fongkaew, lecturer at the department of communication arts at Burapha University, and a researcher of LGBT-related topics. “However, it’s too early to jump to any conclusion or to start judging the show’s producers. We’re only at the starting point, and it remains to be seen if the trans models will be discriminated in the show or how their lives will turn out afterwards regarding society’s acceptance. Only time will tell if the producers are just doing it for ratings or indeed for equality.”
While this trans-inclusion seems progressive, Kangwan noted that it’s still limited to the entertainment industry only, and hence not reflective of the society’s acceptance towards the LGBT community.
“For a society to be accepting, they should do so in every dimension — not just entertainment, but also law, culture and religion. Everything. LGBT persons should be respected as human beings and entitled to basic rights.”
In future, it is possible that more menand women-only contests could welcome the transgender population as well. A transwoman as Miss Thailand, even? Well, why not?
“Even the Olympics allow transgender individuals to compete,” Kangwan said. “And if we view everyone equally as human, then perhaps that’s how it should be. We don’t have to see who’s beneath, who’s above or who’s different, everyone is human all the same. Talent shouldn’t be measured and determined because of your genitals.”
It has yet to be revealed which models advanced to the final round. The show’s staff said this information will be revealed in a press conference on Sept 13.
So now, we let speculation continue. Some of the transgender models who went to the audition have already been marked as “strong contenders” by netizens. Their pictures — Chada’s included — are now circulating all over social media with the crowd marvelling at their beauty and profile.
What’s surprising, also, is how common it is to find comments and captions with phrases like “Take my wombs”, “These katoey are born to kill chanee [a slang meaning cisgender women]” or even “No place for real women” under these models’ pictures.
This, according to Kangwan, is rather disrespectful. He said it re-enforces stereotypes, while also causing a rift between cisgender and transgender women. The negative impact is amplified when it’s being produced by the country’s major news outlets.
“This increasing media coverage seems flattering. But the way most media now present transgender individuals is like they’re talking about an extraordinary being that’s different from everyone else — like they’re weird, a freak,” said Kangwan. “Many still don’t understand how to present LGBT stories in a way that’s respectful towards their humanity.”