The way Geena Rocero stares down a camerais captivating.
But nothing about Rocero is passive.
This year Rocero released her groundbreaking memoir,Horse Barbie.
Gucci look. Maria Tash earrings.
It also reveals the process behind her decision to share her trans identity publicly.
Horse Barbies publication was a balm as a years-long wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation crested in 2023.
Given the stakes, its no wonder that Roceros memoir has been received with such enthusiasm.
Fendi dress. Maria Tash earrings. Cartier bracelet and ring. Giuseppe Zanotti boots.
She quite literally models what triumph can look like.
The books release was met with critical acclaim.
Rocero was recognized byGold Houseandthemfor her literary contributions.
Area suit. Maria Tash earrings. Cartier ring. Jimmy Choo pumps.
I felt like I was freeing myself to be fully as I am, she toldGlamourat the time.
In that moment Rocero remixed her Filipina heritage and queer pride into a force for collective transformation.
And now shes done it again.
Area suit. Maria Tash earrings. Cartier ring. Jimmy Choo pumps.
Roceros early life in the Philippines was humble, but she was surrounded with tremendous love from the beginning.
The absence took a toll on 11-year-old Geena, but she and her mother stayed close through long-distance calls.
And, in time, she found a chosen family in the Filipino trans pageant system.
Givenchy full look. Maria Tash earrings. Cartier ring. Aquazzura pumps. Artwork: Leo Valledor,The Other Shore, 1980
That advice gave birth to the nickname Horse Barbie and catapulted Rocero into top-billing status on the competition circuit.
I became the thoroughbred, Rocero says with a chuckle.
It’s a whimsical thing for me to think about.
Nevertheless, she experienced a spectacular ascent fueled by her charisma and natural star quality.
She dominated nearly every stage she stepped onto.
At 15 years old she took the highest titles here in the national pageant, Temporosa says.
Charles de Vilmorin full look. Maria Tash earrings. Cartier rings. Jimmy Choo pumps. Artwork: Leo Valledor,We Shall Overcome, 1983
I [was] so proud and so happy.
At the time Rocero had been contemplating a move to Japan.
It represented an opportunity unavailable to trans people in the Philippinesto date.
Givenchy full look. Maria Tash earrings. Cartier ring. Aquazzura pumps. Artwork: Leo Valledor,The Other Shore, 1980
She decided to take a leap.
We are culturally visible but legally erased.
Just before Rocero settled in San Francisco, her father suffered back-to-back strokes.
Ashlyn full look. Tiffany & Co earrings and rings. Louboutin boots.
I think this book’s my way to process [his life], she says.
He truly influenced me and gave me an early freedom.
Its my version of closure.
Ashlyn full look. Tiffany & Co earrings and rings. Louboutin boots.
Its a far cry from her first job in the States: a gig at a Macys cosmetics counter.
San Francisco, at the turn of the millennium, offered Rocero unimaginable access to her transition goals.
Shed been out in the Philippines.
Not so much anymore.
When I was doing the book tour, people would ask me about my time modeling, Rocero says.
Yes, it was difficult.
Yes, I was paranoid.
You know, the hottest people that I know.
People were really surprised how much I talked about pleasure.
The book chronicles fleeting and consequential loves throughout her life.
She began to explore her Austronesian origins and experimented with psychedelics.
That was the first inclination that I would come out, the first seedling, she tells me now.
One of the Burning Man principles is radical inclusion.
I felt people were living it and I wanted to too.
Now, more than a decade later, Rocero is a beloved media figure and social justice heroine.
Actor Gabrielle Union-Wade isnt surprised to see Roceros continuous climb.
She provides a voice for the voiceless and the road map for others to follow her lead.
To fashion designer Prabal Gurung, Rocero represents several communities that have been unseen.
Back in the Philippines, Roceros impact is felt as well.
We had the same profile.
She’s a pageant queen.
InHorse Barbie, Rocero recalls a pivotal pageant moment when she and her competitors were caught in a rainstorm.
The audience applauded my ingenuity.
Never had they seen a performance that was so down-to-earthliterally.
That fearless persona is still something she can summon on command.
The afternoon of this shoot, rain pounds the streets of Manhattan, but Rocero is determined to deliver.
Despite the downpour, she hits the sidewalk.
Or at least find liberation in that expression, she says.
I want them to heal.
