Isis King

Isis King
Born (1985-10-01) October 1, 1985[1]
Prince Georges County, Maryland

Modeling information

Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[1]
Hair color Dark Brown
Eye color Dark Brown

Isis King (born Darrell Walls[2] on October 1, 1985) is an American fashion model and a fashion designer. She was a contestant on both the eleventh cycle and the seventeenth cycle of the reality television show America's Next Top Model.[3] She was the first trans woman to compete on the show, and became one of the most visible transgender people on television.[4]

Biography

King is originally from PG County, Maryland, and currently resides in New York City. King was male at birth but has stated that "mentally and everything else" she was "born female."[5] She has stated that people might refer to her as "transgender" or "transsexual", but she prefers the phrase "born in the wrong body".[5]

While in high school, King came out as "gay" but later felt that it was not an accurate label for her.[6] King has an associate degree in design and illustration from the Art Institute of Philadelphia.[7] King moved to New York to transition, but since she did not earn enough money to afford New York rents and her family opposed her transition, she moved into the Ali Forney Center for homeless LGBTQ youth.[8]

In 2007, King appeared in an MSNBC special titled Born in the Wrong Body, which documented the lives of transgender teens from across the United States.[9] King began hormone replacement therapy in the summer of 2007, as part of her transitioning process.[7] She's had sex reassignment surgery as of 2009,[10] which she stated on America's Next Top Model: All-Stars.

Early career

King had been runway modeling for seven years before participating in America's Next Top Model. Her experience included competing in the underground ball culture scene. In a promotional interview for ANTM, King stated she was looking forward to runway as she had been "walking" for seven years. Her post-show runway credits include the Amore Fashion Show, Howard University Fashion Show, Colors Fall/Winter 2009–10 Line, Secret Society, and Images Fashion Show (for which she received an award).

She has also worked as a receptionist at a hair salon, and as a program assistant for a nonprofit organization.[11]

America's Next Top Model

King was living at the Ali Forney Transitional Living Program when she learned about an upcoming photo shoot for the tenth cycle of America's Next Top Model.[12] As the shoot's theme would be the issue of homeless youth, real homeless women would be used as background models, recruited in conjunction with the Reciprocity Foundation, which works to move homeless and high-risk youth into careers in the "creativity economy".

King asked ANTM art director Jay Manuel whether she could be accepted as a girl "born in the wrong body" if she were to audition as a contestant for the program.[12] After the shoot, show host and producer Tyra Banks had her staff search out King to encourage her to audition based on her performance in the photo shoot. King became one of fourteen finalists for the eleventh cycle of the show.[13][14] She placed tenth overall.

She participated in Cycle 17 of America's Next Top Model—also known as the "All-Stars Cycle"—along with 13 other returning contestants from past Top Model cycles. She was eliminated in the third week of the competition

After ANTM

King has appeared on The Tyra Banks Show twice. In her first appearance she discussed her life story further, along with fellow contestant Clark Gilmer. Banks surprised King by introducing her to Marci Bowers, a fellow trans woman and top gender reassignment surgeon, who offered her an all-expenses-paid surgery.[15] According to King's Facebook page, the surgery was conducted on February 27, 2009. The results of the operation were revealed in her second appearance, in which new test shots taken after the surgery were revealed. King's transition to being anatomically female was deemed "complete." She also appeared on Larry King Live on July 25, 2009.[16] King competed in the seventeenth overall and first 'All Star' cycle of America's Next Top Model, which aired on the September 14, 2011. She was eliminated. Since then King has worked with American Apparel making her the first transgender person to do so. In July of 2015, King was a guest star on multiple episodes of the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. King will appear in the fall 2016 series Strut on the Oxygen Network.

King appeared in Us Weekly (September 2008), was in Seventeen magazine (December 2008/January 2009), Out magazine, Mallard International magazine, and the cover of the Spring 2010 Swerv magazine. King also did a variety of test shots that were used to promote her visit to The Tyra Banks Show. In 2012 she became American Apparel's first openly transgender model.[17] However, Media Advocates Giving National Equality to Transsexual & Transgender People (MAGNET), an anti-defamation organization dedicated to educating the media about transsexual, transgender, and intersex issues, launched an education campaign against the t-shirts King modeled because they say "Gay O.K.", which some feel is misleading since King is a straight transgender woman.[18] Chanel Jessica Lopez, transsexual and transgender communities based counselor at New York City’s Anti-Violence Project, called for a boycott of the t-shirts for the same reason.[18]

King is now signed with Jb Models.

In 2014, King was featured on the fifth anniversary cover of C☆NDY magazine along with 13 other transgender women - Janet Mock, Carmen Carrera, Geena Rocero, Laverne Cox, Gisele Alicea, Leyna Ramous, Dina Marie, Nina Poon, Juliana Huxtable, Niki M’nray, Peche Di, Carmen Xtravaganza and Yasmine Petty.[19]

Cultural impact

King is one of a small but growing number of transgender people and characters in film and television, and her inclusion on ANTM has been called an "unprecedented opportunity" by Neil Giuliano, president of GLAAD.[20] By competing on the show, King has brought national and prime time attention to issues of gender transitioning and gender expression.[21][22] New York magazine has called King the cause célèbre of Cycle 11, comparing her transgenderism to previous contestant "issues" featured on the show such as Cycle 9 contestant Heather Kuzmich's Asperger syndrome.[23] ANTM executive producer Ken Mok stated her casting was done in support of "redefin[ing] what beauty is," one of "Tyra's original missions" for the show.[24]

Due to the intimate nature of the program, which films the contestants living together during the several weeks of the competition, GLAAD spokesman Damon Romine noted "the show deals head on with the contestants confronting their own phobias. There's going to be support, and the reverse of that. It opens the door for the other girls and the viewers to get to know King and the transgender community." Some of King's fellow contestants revealed prejudices and misunderstandings about transgender issues, and others commented about how her gender transitioning would be poorly received in their own small communities or in the southern United States.[13] Contestants have referred to King pejoratively as a "he/she" and a "drag queen".[25] Facets of King's transitioning process have been portrayed in the show, such as her hormone injections and subsequent nausea.[26]

New York magazine noted that King is one of few transgender models in history to rise to public prominence, comparing her to Teri Toye, former club kid Amanda Lepore, and the gender-bending club promoter and model André J.[27] Simon Doonan, creative director of Barneys New York, told ABC News that the time may be right for a transgender supermodel: "Maybe it's time for a tranny [sic] to end up on the cover of Vogue."[24]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Consuela B (November 17, 2008). "Isis King Is Transgender America's Next Top Model Contestant". Right Celebrity.
  2. ↑ http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2008/sep/28/transgender-model-isis-king-becomes-a-tv/
  3. ↑ "21 Transgender People Who Influenced American Culture". Time Magazine.
  4. ↑ "Isis King from 'America's Next Top Model'". Washington Post. October 3, 2008.
  5. 1 2 "The Cut: Transgender 'America's Next Top Model' Contestant Speaks, Works It". New York magazine. August 13, 2008. Retrieved September 10, 2008.
  6. ↑ Thomas, Natalie (September 15, 2008). ""I've Always Felt Like I Was Different": One New Hopeful From 'America's Next Top Model' was Born a Man. Now Isis King Tells Her Story To 'Us'". Us Magazine. p. 72. Retrieved September 10, 2008.
  7. 1 2 Thomas, Natalie (September 15, 2008). ""I've Always Felt Like I Was Different": One New Hopeful From 'America's Next Top Model' was Born a Man. Now Isis King Tells Her Story To 'Us'". Us Magazine. p. 73. Retrieved September 10, 2008.
  8. ↑ Vera Papisova (October 16, 2015). "How This Transgender Woman Went from Homeless to Starring on ANTM". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 2015-10-18.
  9. ↑ Johnson, Chris (August 13, 2008). "Isis to bring it to the judges' panel on America's Next Top Model". Human Rights Campaign. Archived from the original on September 18, 2008. Retrieved September 10, 2008.
  10. ↑ "America's Next Top Model: Isis King's Surgery a Success". Buddytv.com. 2009-03-30. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  11. ↑ "Cycle 11 - Cast: Isis". CWTV. August 2008. Retrieved September 10, 2008.
  12. 1 2 "America's Next Top Model Transgender Contestant: "This Is Who I Am"". Us Magazine. September 3, 2008. Archived from the original on September 9, 2008. Retrieved September 10, 2008.
  13. 1 2 "The Notorious Fierce Fourteen". America's Next Top Model. Season 11. Episode 1. September 3, 2008.
  14. ↑ Hinds, Paulene (September 9, 2008). "War Of The Supermodels". Reality TV Magazine. Retrieved September 10, 2008.
  15. ↑ "Video Promo 4062". Tyra Banks Show.
  16. ↑ Balser, Erin (2009-07-28). "Isis King on Larry King Live". Crushable. Retrieved 2013-03-03.
  17. ↑ Burra, Kevin (2012-06-08). "American Apparel Features Isis King, Transgender Model, In New GLAAD Pride 2012 Partnership". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2013-03-03.
  18. 1 2 "Gay Tees Cause Trans Boycott of GLAAD". The Advocate. June 23, 2012.
  19. ↑ "Laverne Cox, Carmen Carrera, Among 14 Trans Stars On "Candy" Magazine Cover". NewNowNext.
  20. ↑ ""Next Top Model" brings transgender in from cold". Reuters. September 3, 2008. Retrieved September 10, 2008.
  21. ↑ "Fox News Addresses Isis King, Angers GLAAD". New York magazine. August 15, 2008. Retrieved September 10, 2008.
  22. ↑ Pivirotto, Alyssa (September 5, 2008). "Major twist revealed on America's Next Top Model". ABC 15. Retrieved September 10, 2008.
  23. ↑ Brown, Lane; Jessica Coen; Nick Catucci (September 2, 2008). "'ANTM' Takes Lovelies Closer to Fame, in Hollywood". New York (magazine). Retrieved September 10, 2008.
  24. 1 2 Rocchio, Christopher (August 22, 2008). "'Top Model' producer: Transgender model to help "redefine" beauty". Reality TV World. Retrieved September 10, 2008.
  25. ↑ "Top Model Inauguration". America's Next Top Model. Season 11. Episode 2. September 3, 2008.
  26. ↑ "The Ladder of Model Success". America's Next Top Model. Season 11. Episode 3. September 10, 2008.
  27. ↑ Odell, Amy (August 14, 2008). "Tranny Models Who Made History". New York (magazine). Retrieved September 10, 2008.


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