Today we are starting something new on our Indian Male Model Blog. We open the doors for transgender models. Welcome MIMI. Read “his” amazing story here and enjoy.

Life is up and down, fortunate and unfortunate; it is not pretty good at all. Life before achievement may pass many storms or many obstructions for testing and improving our patience, effort and ability that we can make it or not.

So, MiMi want to share stories of mine that the way to be a transsexual model was not paved with petals of rose as everyone sees but it was paved with its horns that always stabbed me.

THE STORY OF MIMI

I was born in an upcountry in Thailand called Khonkaen. I have one older sister and one younger brother. When I was young, my mother sent me to study in a Christian private elementary school. Firstly my family was wealthy, but for years later my family suffered financial problems because of home’s business such as cattle and poultry stock, mango garden, eucalyptus garden, a mill, bus station etc. all of our business was bankrupt. At the present, we have only a house, a car, heritages that my mom will absolutely not sale, and the last thing we have is 2milliondebt.

I knew about these problems so I thought I should do something as I was their child then I decided to quit a school and did not study a dreamed high school, I was ordained in high school at a temple in Phranakhonsriayuthaya to help my parents save money. That was my first time that I was alone and hardly spent money from my family on anything. Afterwards, I went to study at Bangkok temple high school until I finished high school, I consulted my parents to leave the monkhood but my mom disagreed on that. She wanted me to graduate college but I thought it was time to pay money back as much as we could and then I could study in undergraduate degree. While I was studying in a temple school, my dad was working in Libya. He was a foreman and he sent money, which was main income of our family, to us. It could pay some debt back we paid back about 5 thousand baht but our debt remained about 1.5 million on that time, we were so economical.

Every cloud has a silver lining because my brother is very intelligent. He usually won many educational competitions and got many scholarships to help financial problems of us and the thing that I am proud on him is a he can entrance to medicine faculty of Khonkaen University, he had to loan for studying so this thing made me decide not to study at further education because it’d waste more money, I decided to work at a cabaret show.

One day, I turned on TV and ran into “Khon Khon Khon ” program (this is my change point ) a person in this program is my inspiration to be a model, she is “Yui Rojjana Patkanha” she was the most famous model in the past. After I watched her on TV, I tried to find her for very long time and finally I found her workplace but didn’t see her. The staff gave me her number. That time I was very glad and very nervous and didn’t know what to talk to her when I called to. I gathered all my braveness to call her and said “Hello, are you yui? My name is MiMi, I like you very much and try to find you for long. I want to be a model like you, can you teach me?” she said “yes I’m Yui but you called wrong person. I’m a singer coach and not a model” (what a shame on me, I feel embarrassed lolololol). Finally I went to meet her at fan club meeting of her. That time I feel like I had butterflies in my stomach and I told her like I used to tell a singer coach and begged her big hug. She told me that first time that she saw me, she didn’t pretty like me because I was ambitious and my shape was not good the same a model as I am now but I usually came before class, before other people to prepare myself to learn her course, finally she loved me and told me everything that she feels and taught me everything that she knows. One sentence that I remember is “MiMi, being a model is very difficult and you must try more very very and very hard than me because you are not a woman”

From then on, I had started being a model in Thailand since I was 17. Nowadays I am 20 years old but Thai people don’t know a model named “MIMI TAO” excepting people in fashion society. The time has gone; it made me think of Yui’s words. One day I went for casting fashion week of one band and when I walked out from the place, I heard models gossiping about me “look that transgender, why does she come?  No one wants her to be on this runway”  I stopped walking and looked back to them and smiled slightly for signing them know that I’d heard; but from the bottom of my heart, I wanted to go and scratch each of their faces lolololol ; moreover, one day I was chosen through pictures of mine for casting. When I arrived to the place and a Thai designer saw MIMI, she looked at me, looked down upon me and talked to staff that “who is it, who choose this one” but after work, she gave me a mention that “so beautiful look and you walk so professional”  but there were so many jobs that I was cancelled and the most regretful thing is an I was cancelled in “Samui International Bodypaint 2011” I was only one Thai model that could get this job. It was world-class so I told everyone I know and posted this on my Facebook, told my friends to see me at Samui, booked a room and flight already. But 2 days before the flight, I was cancelled with a reason that a theme was changed, they wanted all foreign models but the fact was not, I knew what the true reason was. I did regret and was ashamed. The thing that I felt sorry the most is missing a chance to be known by people all over the world (and this motivates me to try to go working in abroad by starting at Singapore like Yui Rojjana Patkanha)

“My journey in Singapore is more fun”

I confessed, I didn’t  have any money to go there so I called mom to get some money,  but  unfortunately on that time, The war happened in Libya my father came back difficultly to Thailand. We cared about him so much. He did not get salary and did not bring luggage back, he just came back with a small briefcase and he was safe. After that, there was not main income of our family; however my mom tried to get some money and bring supporting educational money of my younger brother to me. Do you believe we could have only 7,000 Baht ($228) I knew it was not enough but I told mom, “It is enough I got a cheap ticket.” Then I borrowed 6,000 Baht ($195) from my senior but I was waiting for him since 10 A.M. to 9:40 P.M. Oh My God.  It really drove me crazy and missed flight in the first day. I was still there because I borrowed his money! (Borrowing and getting money is a difficult way) Finally, I got it and went ahead to airport I arrived at 10 P.M. and I went to counter to check in but the plane had already left and the counter closed. it would open again at 4 A.M. What could I do? I decided to sleep there until it was 4 A.M. I bought the ticket that cost 9,874 Baht ($322) I choose the flight that I could go to work on the time at 8:30 A.M. So I got the flight 6 A.M. and arrived there at 7:15 A.M. While the plane was taking off, I was tearing involuntarily with many feeling, happy, proud, kind. I was 18 years old and I was my first time to go abroad alone. Before I had come to Singapore, I studied Singapore’s map, BRT’s map, even all modeling’s information, and I printed those. (I should prepare everything well). In first day, I had only 1,100 Baht (SD$43) It was little to use in Singapore.

When the plane was landing to Singapore’s airport. I gorgeously walked down from an aeroplane like an international model then 1 queued at immigration office. It took a long time waiting for my queue. When immigration police saw my passport he was surprised why my passport showed “mister”, but I looked like a woman! And also had a little money with me. After that, they took me to an office and talked the truth, but they didn’t allow me to go out. I gave my model portfolio to them and told they “my aunt is waiting for me outside, so I did not have a lot of money with me” until they allowed me to go out. The time passed till 8:40 A.M. in my watch and the time in Singapore was 9:40 A.M. My mobile could not use because of a signal. Fortunately, there was a free internet in the airport to check E-mail. In an E-mail, they scolded me that I was not punctual and professional. I replied “I was interned by immigration police” so I could not go there on time. It waste time because they did not listen to me and canceled a work and hotel. What could I do? I could not do anything and had only SD$43, so I composed myself to find the way and solve this problem. I never thought to go back home (Thailand) because I always thought I would not give up and went ahead. Suddenly, I recognized my male model friend he told his mother lived in Singapore and gave me a telephone number. I decided to buy SD$12 SIM card and SD$1 a fresh water. I tried to contact his mother but she never answered my call, so I sent a message to tell her what happened with me. However, she had not answered my call! I was so sleepy because I had not slept for 2 days so I had decided to’’ drag a baggage and go straight to a public restroom for sleeping ’’

(how enduring I am) I had slept there until 6 pm., my phone rang. I was very glad because his mom called me back and said “who are you?” so I told her all my stories that happened to myself. Her voice sounded like a she doubt in me, she told me “I will call my son for the truth then will call you back” when she was clarified by  his son. She called me back as she said. Her voice changed as sympathy. “take a taxi to me, I will give the direction” said she. She welcome and paid for a taxi when I arrived. I stayed with her around 5 days and I have no suffering during living with her because she took care of me in everything. But Mimi always thought that coming in Singapore is for being a model. So I decided to start walking in model tract. I went to many modeling. I was welcome in the forth modeling where there were all European models (no Asian). They admitted me because my face which there is making up on is like other person that is more beautiful. Then I moved out from the house to a condo with my model friends and before I left my friend’s mom, she gave me $70. If no her, I didn’t know what my life would be. And there is probably not Homosexual model like ME!

Then I worked as model under controlling of the modeling and stealthily found other job by myself due to carving to earn more money for my family. if I wasn’t on cast walk, I had to work as a waitress in Thai restaurant. Reader may think that my life is without obstruction. The truth is not, common models can get work permission for working in abroad but me because my prefix is Mister (along with Thai law, Thai male that can work in abroad must pass conscription into the army.) so my name wasn’t permanently in member of the modeling. It made me flight back and forth to work in Singapore. A model that was born with Mister is disadvantageous. However Mimi put up a good fight and never give in to real female model.

See? Many people have no beautiful life, me too. The way to go to my dream is paved with thorn of rose (obstruct) that Mimi must step on and break it for achievement. And Mimi encourage people-being fail or hopeless and remind them “ can get through” no matter what my life seems to be alright right now, I have difficulties to handle. we all should stand up and start doing things we like because I always think that “chance is an important thing which makes us achieve but chance rarely occurs for everyone, so we shouldn’t waste time to wait it, we should find out and catch chance by ourselves and if we get it, we must do all our best in order to maintain it and it will be with us for long”((if we have ever passed misery, we will know what real happiness is))

MiMi Tao