Nitasha Biswas: From stylist to makeup artist to a model and a TV star
Nitasha Biswas, a transwoman from Kolkata, on 27 August 2017 was crowned the Miss TransQueen India and became India’s First Trans Queen.
Little About Miss TransQueen India
Miss TransQueen India is the first ever transgender beauty contest of the country. The aim of the beauty pageant is to empower and support transgender women. This contest is a platform for young, socially deprived transwomen to showcase their beauty, diversity, talent and intelligence. The competition was held in Gurugram, Haryana.
- To know more about this contest you have to Read: Miss TransQueen India – Indian Transgender Beauty Pageant
Nitasha Biswas has represented India at the international level also. she works as a model and also an activist for transgender rights. Recent changes in the law have made life a little easier for the Indian trans community, they still face widespread discrimination.
“The journey wasn’t easy; however, I always followed my dreams.”
Talking about her journey Nitasha revealed in an interview, “I knew about my sexuality from a young age. As a child, I used to feel that I am a woman trapped in a man’s body. I used to hang out with girls. I loved wearing my mother’s makeup and sarees.
I came from a strict family background I couldn’t open up as early as I would have wanted to. However, when I took the bold step to come out to my father, he initially didn’t support me and all my relatives abandoned me. I was so passionate about my dreams that I left my home and pursued a modeling course,” she added.
Nitasha had to go under a Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) to convert her body to female. Before becoming a professional model, she also worked as a stylist and a makeup artist.
Talking about pageant, she says, “It was an experience of a lifetime. I got to meet a lot of people from different regions sharing the same passion. We worked hard for about seven months to perfect our ramp walk, posture, diet management, etc,” and adds, “I will never forget the crowning moment. I went blank for a few seconds with the heaviness of the crown on my head. All the struggle that I went through flashed in front of my eyes.”
- Also Read: What Does Transgender Mean? Gender Identity
