Interview with Jennifer Cobian

Monika: Today I am going to chat with Jennifer Cobian, a Puerto Rican-born beauty expert, make-up artist, model, and transgender woman from Miami, Florida, that shares her transition story on social media. Hello Jennifer!

Jennifer: Hello Monika! Thank you for having me here. I'm honored to be included in this platform that showcases amazing trans women from around the world.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Jennifer: Well, I’m from Puerto Rico, and I had to relocate to Miami after a major hurricane destroyed almost everything in the island in 2017. I enjoy going to Disney, collecting Barbie memorabilia, and wearing designer shoes.

I am still single! If any gentleman reading wants to take me out ;)

Monika: What are your favourite pieces in your Barbie collection?

Jennifer: Oh wow that’s a tough question because I love so many of them! But if I could narrow it down to three I’d say. I love the Blond Diamond doll by the Blonds, the 50th Anniversary Barbie and the MAC Barbie Doll, it was my first ever collector doll and it started the whole craze.

Interview with Nguyễn Hoàng Trúc Quân

Monika: Today I would like to take you to Vietnam where one of our sisters lives. Nguyễn Hoàng Trúc Quân is a trans enthusiast, make-up artist, and support lady at shared services center from Ho Chi Minh City. Trúc Quân was a co-founder of Trans Women Vietnam, an organization that supports the local transgender community, and now she is a moderator for another trans group called Vietnamese Trans Girl's Community, so she is the best person to share some interesting stories about our trans sisters from Vietnam. Hello Trúc Quân!

Trúc Quân: Hello there! Thank you for the introduction. Well, first I have to say that I am honored to be a part of this worldwide blog and to present the life of a Vietnamese trans sister like myself.

Monika: Could you introduce yourself to our readers?

Trúc Quân: My name is Trúc Quân - you can call me Quinn, as it sounds similar to Quân. I am a 21-year-old transgirl living in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh city. I am currently working as a customer care office lady. While I did learn to be a professional makeup artist, I do not do make-up very often, only when other people request me to. (PS: If any foreign ladies out there in Ho Chi Minh city want some make-up and probably a meeting with me, just give me a shout-out, I would love to meet you in person.)

Interview with Willow-Jayne Davies

Monika: Today I am going to introduce to you Willow-Jayne Davies, a British makeup artist, nail technician, and beauty pageant queen from Swansea in Wales. She is Miss Swansea Sparkle 2016-2019 and Miss Voluptuous UK finalist 2020. Hello Willow-Jayne! 

Willow-Jayne: Hello gorgeous! How are you?

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Willow-Jayne: My top three most used words/phrases are: “it is what it is “, “Same to be honest “ and “lovely”. I’m not necessarily saying that my vocabulary is limited, it’s that I don’t need a dictionary to choose from because my top three work in all types of conversation.

Monika: Willow-Jayne is not a common name. Why did you choose it?

Willow-Jayne: When I was around eight I was rushed into hospital for an emergency operation (testicular torsion), and as I was slowly being put under the anesthetic and wheeled to the operating theatre, my mum had said “You’re going to go in as William and come out as Willow“. At that point, it wasn’t a laughing matter, and I thought she was being serious.

Interview with Damnlera

Monika: Today I am going to interview Damnlera, a young trans girl, digital illustrator, and social media influencer from Russia. Hello Lera!

Lera: Hello Monika! Thank you for the opportunity to do this interview.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Lera: I’m a transgender woman. I transitioned 11 years ago. I work as a digital illustrator. In addition, I post on my YouTube channel and Makeup Art Instagram.

Monika: What inspired you to share your intimate life moments on social media?

Lera: The idea of making someone become more confident about themselves is very much inspiring for me. I want to inspire people of any age, gender, or nationality to be what they really are and be proud of it. We are all beautiful and we are all talented, so making people feel great about themselves is what I really want to do.

Interview with Veso Golden Oke

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Veso Golden Oke, a Nigerian-born beauty queen and model, professional make-up artist, Miss Ghana at Miss Trans Star International 2019. In 2019 Veso became the first transgender woman to compete in the Miss Europe Continental Ghana, a beauty pageant for cisgender women. Hello Veso!

Veso: Hello Monika, thank you for this opportunity.

Monika: You were born in Nigeria. Could you say a few words about your teenage years there?

Veso: Yes, I was born in Nigeria and lived in Nigeria for 20 years of my life. It was hell every day because as a young Christian child I was made to believe that my lifestyle was demonic and I needed deliverance. Society had no pity on me, I felt hate and isolation every single day. I was once arrested and put in jail with criminals just because I identified as a woman. I was lucky once when I almost got stoned in the streets after protesting against the 24 years imprisonment for LGBT people. I would have died if I had not found a way to escape.

Interview with Ally

Today’s interview will be with Ally, a transgender woman that documents her transition on Reddit.com as Hey_Im_Allison. More recently she has launched the YouTube channel Allycat Makeup, which aims to help Transgender women learn to do makeup. Hello Ally!

Ally: It’s a real pleasure to speak with you, Monika!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Ally: I am a 25-year-old transgender woman and I have been transitioning since June of 2016! The three things that I enjoy the most in my life are traveling, music and makeup. I’ve managed to see 15 different countries, played guitar for half of my life, and in the last 7 months became absolutely makeup obsessed. I’m openly trans and believe in being proud of being transgender.

Monika: Why did you decide to share your transition details on Reddit?

Ally: When I had first truly admitted to myself that I was transgender and needed to move forward with the transition, I had wanted to express those thoughts in a very concrete manner. I suppose posting on Reddit was my way of declaring it to the world in a way that I could not take back. From that point onward I felt it would be an interesting way to document my journey and how much has changed.

Interview with Yasmin Lee

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Yasmin Lee, an American entertainer and adult movie actress, TV celebrity, model, and make-up artist. Hello Yasmin!

Yasmin: Hi Monika, thank you for having me.

Monika: Yasmin, having so many talents, which fields you are most interested in: acting, modeling, or maybe something different?
Yasmin: To be honest I’m not quite sure what I would be content with most. I had always been drawn to different things, and enjoy the experience of it all too much to settle for a specific. I love the arts.

Interview with Ahya “Yah-Yah“ Nicole

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honour to interview Ahya “Yah-Yah“ Simone, a young woman of many talents from Detroit, model, aspiring make-up artist and harpist. Hello Yah-Yah!

Ahya: Hi! Let me first say that I am so happy that you found me interesting enough to interview. Thank you!

Monika: You were featured in the Barney’s “Brothers, Sisters, Sons & Daughters Campaign” which was targeted towards bringing trans positive awareness within fashion. There are more and more transgender models that are successful in the fashion business…

Yah-Yah: Yes!! And I am so excited for that. Visibility and diversity is very important. It’s time for a breakthrough for trans people in the US. It is time to stand up and be recognized.

Interview with Drew-Ashlyn Cunningham

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Drew-Ashlyn Cunningham, a talented woman, British celebrity and model, make-up artist, and participant of Channel 4’s reality documentary "My Transsexual Summer". Hello Drew-Ashlyn!

Drew-Ashlyn: Thank you so much for doing this interview. I'm excited to see what kind of questions you thought up for me!

Monika: It has been 2 years since you appeared on "My Transsexual Summer". Did the documentary change your life?

Drew-Ashlyn: Haha, definitely I think it's fair to say my life is completely different now and for the better. I moved on from the coffee shop I was working in while the show was being wrapped up and started working for Illamasqua in their stand-alone store in Leeds as a make-up artist. I moved on from an abusive relationship and met a lovely guy in my hometown. I no longer have people shouting nasty things at me down the street.