| |
Imagine
a beautiful young lady that draws a lot of attention as she
walks in with an elegant air of 100% femininity. The
glamour, fashion and beauty that underlie creative and
artistic ways of exploring one's self. The sound of applause
from the spellbound audience for a woman trapped in a man's
body.
Forming
a presence that cannot be ignored, the activities presented
by the fa'afafine communities in both Samoa and New Zealand
are of great significance. This is in the form of a beauty
pageant, held every year in Samoa. Different activities
regarding the association of fa'afafine with the public are
pushing the faafine's rights to be recognised by the public.
Major and minor activities by fa'afafine have lifted its
profile as when compared to a few years ago.
Tania
To'omalatai was the founder of the 'My Girls Club', a
community for fa'afafine of Samoa to get together and
fundraise. Other groups like 'Seven Stars' formed by Carol
Barnsley and 'Manu Ma' came afterwards. Each group has their
own playcharity work to raise money for their organization
and to expose to the public their unique way of doing
certain things. The popularity of fa'afafine pageants with
the public in Samoa continues its strength for the
fa'afafine who are living in New Zealand.
The
'Miss Apia Way Drag Queen Pageant' is a night of pride for
fa'afafine, where they display their talents and creativity
in their own unique and special way of doing things, to the
general public. Certain pageants are run throughout New
Zealand, particularly in the major cities of Auckland and
Wellington where the majority of the Samoan population are
settled.
In
Samoa today, the beauty pageant run by fa'afafine will be a
night that is never missed by the people. The operation of
the 'Tutti Frutti Beauty Pageant' by Ken Moala and Peter Tamasese has captured a night of fun, humour and big laughs
regarding the night of the pageant.
It
shows how a fa'afafine can transform itself in both ways - as a
man and as a woman. It has different original
categories of its own, designed for the audience's pleasure.
The major sponsors are from public and private companies,
knowing that their contributions are worthwhile.
The
fa'afafine contribution to the Samoan society through beauty
pageants as a major form of event has contributed a lot to
the Home for the Aged at Mapuifagalele and some to the
disabled children at Loto Taumafai a few years
ago.
Proven
by the pageants regarding unique styles, the fa'afafine make
their way up in a world of modern fashion by creative
abilities in arts, fashion and design and by weaving
together traditional objects to build a modern design.
Well-organised and well merited for their spectacle, these
beauty pageants will never be missed, with a lot of laughter
throughout the night, attracting a lot of people to support
fa'afafine competitions, knowing that their money is well
spent.
The pageant reflects a lot of self-confidence, distinctive self-esteem
and
|
|
 |
|
