There is a long past behind Tenzin Mariko, who was once monk but now a cheered and respected celebrity in the Tibetan community. Mariko might have climbed mountains higher than those in her homeland, in a journey that led to her being crowned the first transgender model among the Tibetan community in exile.
Tenzin Mariko became an inspiration to all the when she embraced her calling.
Mariko, was born a male and named Tenzing Ugen. She was one among six brothers, and her family arrived in India in the 1990s to settle down in Bir, Himachal Pradesh.
At an early age, when Tenzin was attracted to all things a girl would probably like, she was told by her family and friends that males are expected to behave differently.
In 2014, when she decided to change things for the better, a video of her dancing in female clothes went viral and that’s when things went downhill for Tenzing.
The video showed her dancing wearing a woman’s wig and make-up at a friend’s wedding in New Delhi. The video soon had gone viral and earned her insulting names like “Pholo-molo,” a derogatory Tibetan term for transgender that translates as “neither male nor female.” Almost five years later, she is a social media icon with over 20k followers.
In 2015, she underwent surgery and also made first public appearance but this time – as ‘herself’ in skirts instead of robes. She appeared as a dancer at the Miss Tibet pageant in Dharamshala.
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Today, almost four years later, Mariko is a social media influencer and a queer icon, apart from being a professional dancer, model and a make-up artist.