This is the outfit I wore for my first Mac campaign in 2017 – it was fully rhinestone, head to toe. It was a memorable look for me because I bought all the material, all the stones and all the accessories for it and had it made by a drag queen. It weighed 60lb – so it was like having another little person on me; extremely heavy, but just so beautiful.
Having previously worked on a Mac counter, I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be in a campaign. I wanted to wear the most divalicious outfit I could so that I stood out. Because I’m plus size, I prefer to design my own outfits and collaborate with designers. When I started losing my hair, I began wearing head-wraps and then turbans, which I like to have match the rest of my look. I also work with my hair stylist to craft the turbans – it’s beautiful when it all comes together. I find inspiration on Pinterest, watch fashion shows on YouTube and then I put my own twist in it that will flatter my body.
I don’t always wear bespoke items: I love Asos, I love Forever 21, I love River Island – but it’s often really hard for me to find clothes that fit. My shoes are from Maya Shoes of Hollywood, which stocks shoes for drag queens and actors … Lady Gaga buys her shoes there, too. It’s my secret weapon.
It’s not out of vanity that I wear these outfits – it’s important for me to represent a community. I had an actor approach me with his daughter, who was about four years old, on the red carpet recently. She was just like: “Wow, I like your dress!” I thought it was cool that someone so young could admire a 29-year-old, plus-size Filipino in a dress at a Disney premiere.
I use fashion to break down gender stereotypes because I still identify as male. It was hard for me – I used to always wear trousers and I worried about breaking away from that from a branding standpoint. But then I just thought: why not just wear what I want and be the glamazon that I want to be?
