QUEEN'S ROAD: When Alex Victor was seven years old, he would often wear his aunt’s shoes to plays. The fascination with high-heeled shoes culminated in a drag performance last weekend at the Humming Tree.
His partner for the show was drag queen Mayamma.
Alex danced to popular songs, Madonna’s Vogue and Frozen, in six-inch boots. “Dancing in heels was never a challenge for me. I took to it naturally,” he says.
He wears the highest heels in his family. “The women in my house don’t wear more than 3 inches,” he says. “High-heeled shoes gives me confidence. I don’t like wedges, I prefer stilettos. My personal favourite is ankle-length boots,” he says.
Alex choices are personal, innate and not really intent on making a statement. However, he does have something to say about stereotypes. “A piece of clothing should not determine your sexuality and limit your personality. Just because I wear men’s clothing, it does not make me a man. If I do not dress like a man, it does not make a woman. Let’s not bracket ourselves,” Alex says.
He does not tie himself down to a dance form either. He has taken lessons in Kathak and free-form belly dancing. “Belly dancing is the richest art form,” he says. “The movements are all-encompassing and it breaks all shackles.”
His partner for the duet is also an Alex (Mathew), and goes by the stage name Mayamma. Mayamma prefers the conventional Kerala sari with eye make-up and lipstick.
For the dance at Humming Tree, however, Mayamma came in red. After the performance, two trans-people seated in the audience came up to him and said they were jealous that they did not get to be as free and liberated as he was.
“I always had a feminine side. When I was growing up, I would ask my mother why I was the way I am, but she had no answer,” he says.
Mayamma, the character, was invented a year ago to portray gender diversity. “I wanted to be a graceful woman in a sari to be able to voice and embody gender concerns in a parodic fashion. She tells her stories through a parody musical,” he says.
Alia (name changed on request) last wore a dress when she was four-years old. Every day, she steps out in a trouser, shirt and a jacket. But she can’t get all ‘dressed up’ in men’s formals. “I like getting suited up in a bow and tie and wearing shiny shoes,” she said. She fantasies about it a lot, but rarely acts on it.
She does not care if she stands out since her parents understand. “I need to be comfortable and I think I look nice,” she says. Some people take her for a man. “But it bothers them more than me.”
She sometimes picks up tips from Ellen Degeneres on shoes and pants. “I find her too feminine for my liking, but some of her pants are sleek,” she says.
Unisex
Unisex is different from cross-dressing. Fashion guru Prasad Bidapa says unisex dressing has always been part of the Indian culture. “For instance, men wear kurtas which is also a women’s clothing. Bridegrooms dress up as much as the women,” he says.
A stylist who has been working with Prasad Bidapa Associates for the past one year, Neerjal Basnet dresses unisex because he does not want to cross-dress. “As I am skinny, I wear tight denim track pants. The shirts I wear are loose, flowing and long. Black and grey are my favorites, and I am not into bright colors,” he says.