- I find the
photo-gang in a corridor at the ground floor.
Henriette Sørensen,
spokesperson at TID (Transvestites in
Denmark) , is waiting to be photographed. She
tells that she was contacted quite some time
ago by Bianco Footwear, to hear if she
could gather a number of transvestites for
the fall campaign of the company with max a
size 41 in shoes. As she had assured that it
was a serious aim she sent our letters to the
members - and beside herself also Susanne
Thomsen, Jackie Madsen,
Charlotte Ljunqvist and Rebecca
Holm signed up.
- While we're
talking the photographer Casper
Sejersen has set up both a scenery and a
light he's satisfied with. The stylist
Jenny Jet corrects Henriette´s
clothes and the make up artist Dennis
Knudsen checks the make up one last
time.
- Henriette
takes place in front of the
camera.
-
- Mens
Collection
- Helle
Vangsgaard, Marketing manager at Bianco
Footwear;
- E.g. At
spring we showed people who were standing
with their legs wide spread to avoid spilling
on their shoes.
- Another
campaign was about "Ugly Feet need beautiful
shoes".
- At fall
transvestites will show their shoes and
they're suppose to look precisely as they
usually do when they are going out in town
&endash; and with shoes from Bianco. That's
why the stylist had been at the model's homes
to see what kinds of shoes were appropriate
to our everyone's personal style and choice
of dresses.
- The pictures
are to be used for postcards, posters and
calendars in the shops and of course
newspaperads.
- But why
choose transvestites instead of drag queens
or actors, and what kind of reaction do you
expect from the customers?
- Helle
explains that Bianco's lady shoes are selling
very well, and now they want their customers
to discover that Bianco also sells men's
shoes.
- The campaign
has the name "He didn't know about our men's
footwear" &endash; and that's why they want
to use transvestites.
-
- Unreal
- Suddenly
Helle asks if I'd like to pose as a
model.
- Oops!! I
wasn't prepared for that! But… I guess I
would like to… I think?
- But it's
only my wife and a few others who know that
I'm a transvestite. What if someone
recognizes me?
- I never go
out in my hometown … and I'm wearing
summer clothes … and it is a fall
campaign and ...
- - They'll do
just fine, Jenny interrupts persuasive, and
gets up to find a pair of shoes that fits
with my outfit.
- I explain
that this is a decision that also involves my
wife, so I accept with one condition &endash;
that she approves the pictures.
- The
situation feels very unrealistic. Barely four
years ago I thought that it was almost death
penalty to my sexual being.
- Now I'm
asked to show the products from a
well-respected fashion concern with 100 shops
all over Scandinavia.
- Is it fate
that's playing with me?
- Jenny finds
a pair of smashing bootees in imitated
snakeskin with high, quite Straight
thread-slim heel.
- But how am I
to get these on my feet? My feet are a size
43!?
- - asch,
Jenny says. If it doesn't work, we'll cut
them open.
- I get the
right foot in, but the zip isn't to get up
again. The left shoe doesn't fit at
all.
- - Stand up,
Dennis orders and the toes are pressed a few
millimetres into the shoes.
- We pull and
toil, bend and stretch. We pause and try
again.
- We form the
next campaign of Bianco while we say: "One
size fits all!"
-
- Outdoor
- When Rebecca
and I are the only ones left we are told that
our pictures are to be taken outside. We're
going to Islands Brygge on Amager.
- Dennis is
pleased with my hair, but improves my make up
&endash; most of all more black on the
eyelashes and a some bigger mouth than I'm
used to.
- The sun is
shining and it's windy as we arrive at a
roofed parking house.
- Casper knows
what he's looking for and takes a couple of
test shots.
- His
assistants conjure a big white nylon cloth,
which they spread out to get a more even
light.
- Dennis and I
are struggling with getting the shoes on me.
It must work out!
- Rebecca
comes to our rescue and with joint strengths
we succeed in getting the right shoe on and
zip up.
- We even get
on the left shoe, but it is impossible to zip
up. It doesn't matter, the zip will not
appear on the pictures.
- But how do
you stand on thread-slim heels on a
electroplated steel lattice?
- And how am I
to pose/stand?
-
- Bitchy
- Casper
instructs and talks.
- - Move a bit
higher up… twist your body a
little… good!
- Move the
right hand closer to you.. even closer..
perfect!
- Look more
into the camera… look more bitchy
…
- How do you
look "bitchy"?? Is the "bitchyness" suppose
to be aimed at a guy or a girl?
- If I only
had a mirror!
- I get really
nervous and think that I simply look
funny.
- - Exactly,
precisely like that, says Casper encouraging.
Hold the look right there… good…
new film!
- Move the
right foot a little forward.. twist the head
a bit to the left… look straight ahead..
higher…
- My left leg
is beginning to hurt and I try to relieve the
weight towards banisters by leaning
backwards.
- - Really
good, I hear from Casper who asks for more
film for the tenth time.
- I put my
hand against my cheek.
- -
Spectacular, Kasper cries out and moves
closer.
- Now he's
really close. I thought it was the shoes he
was going to photograph…
- After having
said "just one more pictures" for the
twentieth time, he's suddenly
done.
- We've been
at it for 45 minutes and I'm sore in both my
legs.
- I feel
differently empty after the
shooting.
- I take off
the shoes.
- I have a
wound on a toe.
- I was only
to write an article and take some
pictures
…
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