Anjali Lama (real name Nabin Wabia) is a Nepalese transgender model and LGBTIQA+ activist. She was born a boy but later underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2009 and became a woman.
Anjali Lama as a child
She is famous for being the first transgender woman to walk the runway at Lakme Fashion Week (2017).
Anjali Lama selected for Lakme Fashion Week 2017
She is also known for being outspoken about her sexuality. She supports the LGBTQIA community.
Wiki/Biography
Anjali Lama was born in 1985 (date of birth unknown) (36 years old; as of 2021) in Nuwakot District, Bagmati Province, Nepal. She completed her studies in 2013. When she was in school, her classmates used to make fun of her when she acted like a girl. She prefers talking to the girls in her class than the boys. She has a closer relationship with her mother and sisters than with her brothers and father. At this time, she did not realize her originality. In 2013, she went to Kathmandu to continue her studies. She discovered her sexuality when she saw a performance by a man dressed as a woman at a friend’s house. She was happy to see them. She also met a group of trans women and talked to them about her sexuality. They introduced Anjali to the Blue Diamond Society, which helps the transgender community. In 2005, Anjali decided to tell her family about her sexual orientation. When she told her parents about her sexual orientation, they were totally against it. They were very angry and no longer considered Anjali as their son. Her family did not accept her so she had to cut off all contact with them. In 2009, she underwent partial gender reassignment surgery. She started living her life the way she wanted. In an interview, she talked about her feelings while undergoing the surgery. she says,
Putting aside the financial part which is undoubtedly difficult to manage, it has been a pretty painful month. However, the pain was worth it because I knew the experience would bring me closer to my true self. “
appearance
Height: 5′9″
Weight (approximately): 54 kg
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
Body measurements (approximately): 34-26-34
family
Anjali Lama was born into a farming family.
Parents and siblings
Anjali Lama’s father, Suvan Singh Tamang, is a farmer and she has six siblings (her mother’s name is unknown). Her sister’s name is Neha Waiba.
Anjali Lama’s parents
Anjali Lama’s sister
Profession
modeling
After Anjali completed her surgery, some of her friends suggested that she start a modeling career because of her great height and figure. She followed their advice and joined an institute in Nepal to get training for auditions. Her sexual orientation became an obstacle in her career. She was rejected in many auditions, but in 2009, she got the chance to be featured in Women’s Voice magazine.
Anjali Lama on the cover of Women’s Voice magazine
In 2016, she auditioned for Lakme Fashion Week but was not selected twice in the same year. Then she decided to improve herself, and she watched videos on YouTube to learn the correct way to walk, dress style, body posture, etc. She was selected for Lakme Fashion Week in 2017 and walked the ramp for Monisha Jaising.
Anjali Lama at Lakme Fashion Week (2017)
Later, she collaborated with designers Amit Aggarwal, Anita Dongre and Tarun Tahiliani. In 2014, Anjali also starred in the documentary Anjali: Living in Someone Else’s Skin.
Anjali Lama in documentary based on her life
In 2019, she became part of a Calvin Klein advertising campaign. It was a huge success for Anjali, who became the first transgender model to be featured in an international brand. Filming for the campaign took place in Phuket, Thailand in March. Anjali shared her experience of campaigning in an interview and said;
I never thought that one day I would be involved in a Calvin Klein advertising campaign. There were women from 10 countries in the ad, and I was one of them. “
Anjali Lama’s Instagram post about Calvin Klein
She appeared on the cover of Elle magazine in 2017, GQ India magazine in 2018 and Cosmopolitan magazine in 2020.
Anjali Lama appears on the cover of Elle magazine
Anjali Lama appears on the cover of GQ magazine
Anjali Lama appears on the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine
Anjali also appeared in a video for Levi`s, sharing her story of becoming a model.
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- In 2007, she won the “Miss Charming” award in the Transgender Women Competition.
- In 2017, she became the first transgender person to walk in Lakme Fashion Week.
- In 2019, she won the “Model of the Year” award at the “Vogue Beauty Awards” and the “Grazia Millenial Award”.
Anjali Lama wins Vogue Beauty Award
Anjali Lama wins Grazia Millennium Award
Facts/Trivia
- Anjali had to work very hard to find a job because she had been rejected by institutions for being transgender.
- She said in an interview that agents would often cut her off when she had to buy a home.
- When asked if she had always wanted to be a model, she said:
Yes, like any other girl, I grew up flipping through glossy magazines and dreaming of one day becoming a model. “
- Anjali often shares pictures from her yoga practice on Instagram.
Anjali Lama doing yoga
- She believes that children should be educated about LGBTQI from an early age so that they can accept transgender people.
- She also said in an interview that fashion is more professional than other fields.
- Anjali has participated in many fashion shows but her favorite is the Rainbow Fashion Show. In an interview, she talked about the show and said:
My favorite was when I opened for Gaurav Gupta at the Rainbow Fashion Show soon after Section 377 was repealed to celebrate LGBTQ people. This one was particularly memorable because I wasn’t just walking for myself; This is a win for my entire community. “
Anjali Lama appears in rainbow fashion show
- She said in an interview that other members of the Lakme Fashion Week show were very supportive and helped her complete the instructions written in English. She added,
I felt a bit lost as all the instructions were given to us in English. Then I contacted models Deepti Gujral and Alesia Raut and they helped me. “
- Her favorite supermodel is Brazilian supermodel Adriana Lima.
- She enjoys traveling and watching movies.
- She believes that India is more tolerant and developed than Nepal.
- In an interview, Anjali talks about the rules she believes in for success. she says,
Hard work is my only motto. I describe myself as a person with strong self-determination, a never-give-up attitude, and the ability to choose people wisely who will encourage me to succeed. “
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education