Danielly Drugge is a Brazilian-born fashion model, beauty pageant contestant, cosmetician and transgender woman who found a new home and the opportunity to build the life she had always dreamed of in Sweden. A determined dreamer, she grew up in Brazil with the support of a loving family who had recognised her feminine identity from an early age. Nevertheless, she experienced discrimination at school, witnessed violence against transgender friends and endured a traumatic robbery that eventually led her to withdraw from society and fear for her safety. Her life took a new direction when she met Robert, who would become her husband. Their relationship brought her to Sweden, where she hoped to build a family and live openly without being constantly defined by her transgender identity. She found a more accepting environment in which she could feel comfortable being herself and pursue her ambitions.
Passionate about fashion and beauty since childhood, Danielly had always dreamed of participating in beauty competitions such as Miss Brazil and Miss Universe. Encouraged by Robert, she finally realised this ambition in 2019, representing Sweden at Miss Trans Star International in Barcelona. The experience brought her wonderful friendships and taught her the importance of solidarity among women. Among her inspirations are Brazilian fashion pioneer Roberta Close and Swedish model and beauty queen Vanessa Lopez. She also dreamed of competing at Miss International Queen in Thailand and Miss T World in Italy. Alongside modelling and her YouTube activities, Danielly has been developing her professional career in the beauty industry. She completed a hairdressing course and studied fashion design, specialising in hair treatments and gradually exploring aesthetic procedures. Her ambition is to establish herself professionally in a beauty salon. Her message to other transgender women is simple: be yourself, pursue your dreams and never give up, because overcoming life's obstacles makes us stronger.
Monika: Danielly, welcome! It is a pleasure to have you on the blog today.
Danielly: Hi Monika, first of all, I want to thank you for the opportunity to be here on your blog, giving all of us visibility and a voice.
Monika: To start, tell me a little about yourself.
Danielly: Well, I am a girl who was born in Brazil, with a strong temperament. I am a dreamer who never gives up on my dreams, even though society imposes many difficulties on trans women.
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| Photo credits: Robert Drugge. |
Monika: What led you to settle down in Sweden?
Danielly: First of all, it was because I met Robert, who today is my legal husband. I always dreamed of having my life and family as Danielly, without being labeled, which is hard to achieve in my country because trans women are all labeled there. My husband told me how life is "easier" for a transsexual woman in Sweden, that here we have a normal life, where we can work and be who we want to be without the fear of being pointed out on the street. Here would be the beginning of the life I had always dreamed of. In the city where I live, many people know that I am a transsexual woman, but I never receive glances or hear bad words directed at me only because of my presence.
Monika: Take me back to Brazil. What was life like there, and do you still have family in the country?
Danielly: I will not lie, I had a good life. I was able to study, and I always had the support of my family because they already knew that something "different" existed in me since I was little. But because I had friends who suffered physical aggression, and also because of the trauma after a robbery, I developed post-traumatic stress, and it made my life difficult. After that, I started to isolate myself and be afraid of dying for being a trans woman. And yes, I have family in Brazil, by the way, a very large family, and whenever I can, I make video calls and visit them too.
Monika: School, college, and university are often the hardest years for transgender girls because of the discrimination they face. Was that your experience too?
Danielly: When I was little and went to primary school, in my mind I was just like the girls, my cousins, I was raised with. During the first class break, when I had to go to the bathroom, obviously I went with the girls, and my teacher had to prevent me from entering with them. It was when I realized that something was not right. Over the years, verbal attacks started, which in this case were not so aggressive. I was called a princess at my primary school because I was always very small and delicate, and my teacher nurtured me.
Later in my teenage years, everyone knew me at school, no one laughed anymore, but the nickname was still Princess.
Monika: You look so feminine. Would you agree that the decision to transition should always be taken as soon as possible?
Danielly: Yes, absolutely! I believe that with a transition at a younger age, we can look more feminine. With medical follow-up and good, adequate hormonal therapy, we can block some masculine characteristics.
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| Photo credits: Robert Drugge. |
Monika: Turning to your home country, how do you see the present situation of transgender women in Brazil?
Danielly: I see a very sad situation because transsexual women in Brazil are marginalized and treated with no respect. The macho society represses a lot of transsexual women, not giving us the opportunity to live and have "honest" jobs. Ninety-nine percent of trans girls are forced to work as escort girls, and are thus forced to live on the margins of society.
Monika: Roberta Close has always inspired me. She is a Brazilian fashion model and the first transgender model to pose for the Brazilian edition of Playboy, and it was incredible to see her on the covers of Vogue and other women's magazines, and on the catwalk for famous fashion houses. Did you have any transgender role models or inspirations?
Danielly: Roberta Close is also my inspiration. She was the great Brazilian pioneer who exposed herself to the world as a transsexual woman, so my first reference obviously went to her, but nowadays there are several transsexual models that we all look up to as inspirations.
Monika: Among more recent inspirations, one of your Swedish celebrities impressed me too: Vanessa Lopez. What an incredible woman!
I was so honored to interview her in 2014.
Danielly: Vanessa is an amazing woman. I didn't know her before Miss Trans Star International 2019, in which I participated. She came to me and introduced herself, and I was curious about her and looked for more information. Since then, she has become my inspiration too.
Monika: Did you arrive in Europe with any specific professional plans?
Danielly: Well, I took a professional hairdressing course, I studied fashion design, and my plans are to continue with this beauty branch that I have always liked. I intend to become more professional and, in the future, be able to work in this area. Here in Sweden, opportunities are easier to reach, and we have good universities that we do not have to pay for. In the meantime, I work with YouTube and do small modeling jobs, but the focus is on working at a beauty salon.
Monika: Which beauty treatments interest you the most?
Danielly: I work with all types of hair treatment, but I am gradually specializing in the field of aesthetics, such as fillers and even treatment with toxins.
Monika: What about the runway? Have you modeled in any fashion shows?
Danielly: Well, not at a fashion show, but I love the fashion world so much that I decided to be a representative of Sweden at Miss Trans Star International, held in Barcelona in 2019.
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| Photo credits: Christopher Nigrelli. |
Monika: Was it your first beauty pageant, and who or what convinced you to take part in it?
Danielly: Yes, it was my first beauty contest, indeed. I always liked to watch fashion shows, and I always attended beauty contests for both Miss Brazil and Miss Universe. It was a dream to participate in them, but because I was a trans woman, I could not do it.
Monika: So what finally changed that?
Danielly: When I met my future husband, I told him about all my childhood dreams and desires, and this was when he encouraged me to participate, so I fell in love with this world of contests even more. Invitations for 2020 events started to appear.
Monika: Are there more pageants on your horizon?
Danielly: I was invited to participate in 3 more contests, which have no scheduled dates because of the pandemic situation, but if everything goes well, I want to be able to participate in all of them, including the next Miss Trans Star International 2020. If I am accepted, my intention is not to win the title of most beautiful, but to meet people and stories, and to make friends for as long as possible, as I did in the last contest, where I made sisters for a long time.
Monika: Did the Barcelona pageant have any specific categories?
Danielly: Yes, there are some extra prizes to win, but unfortunately I was not really prepared for any of them. There was a Miss Popularity, which was won by Miss India. Miss Sympathy went to Miss Spain, Best Fitness Body belonged to Miss Switzerland, and wonderful Miss Cuba received the title of Miss Beyond Crow. (I must confess that she was my favorite for this title.)
Monika: What was the atmosphere like among the contestants at Miss Trans Star International? Did you have a chance to make friends with some of them?
Danielly: It was incredible! The 2019 Miss group was full of pain and happiness, and all the girls supported each other. They were incredible! I have a special love for Miss Cuba, Miss Spain, Miss USA, Miss Mauritius, Miss Argentina, and Miss Brazil. Obviously, they were all wonderful, but those were the ones I identified with most.
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| Photo credits: Luana Dias Malman. |
Monika: Preparing dresses, hairstyles, and makeup must have taken a lot of time. Did anyone help you?
Danielly: Yes, it was a little difficult for me because I was an amateur. I didn't know how it works. I was happy that my husband gave me 100% support, and during those 7 days, I had to do my makeup and hair on my own. However, on the last night, I was supported by three girls. Miss Spain Michelle allowed me to take advantage of her makeup artist because I was really alone, and I can say I love this girl! Not only because she helped me, but also because she has an incredible heart.
END OF PART 1
Main photo credits: Robert Drugge.
All the photos: courtesy of Danielly Drugge.
© 2020 - Monika Kowalska
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