A Modern Icon. A Converstaion with Nalin Satearrujikanon
Fashion model and photographer Nalin Satearrujikanon is the perfect example of being yourself, independently of any gender. The Bangkok-bred beauty hopes to not only help other transgenders embrace their own unique identities, but also to encourage all humans to love themselves on a higher level. Gata had the pleasure of meeting with Nalin during her visit to Tokyo, where she let us deeper into her world.
Gata: Could you give us a little introduction about yourself?
Nalin: Sure, my name is Nalin Satearrujikanon. I am from Bangkok, Thailand, and I’m a freak.
Gata: Are you currently only working as a model?
Nalin: Fashion modeling is my main career, but sometimes I do photography for fun.
“I really want to represent Thailand with my photographies and I hope my work is good enough”
Gata: Around what age did you start to embrace yourself? (i.e. dressing exactly as you wanted, feeling like you were really being who you were meant to be)
Nalin: I’ve always loved myself for who I was since I was little, though sometimes I was a bit confused about my gender. It wasn’t an issue of whether I was straight or queer, but rather of whether I was gay or trans. Deep inside, I always felt like a girl, and I only liked straight boys. When I started university, I was ready to embrace myself and show everyone I was a woman. I let my hair grow, and I wore my first skirt. I also fell in love with my best (male) friend.
Gata: Was embracing yourself as a woman easy for you? Are there any anecdotes you would like to share?
Nalin: My trick is easy, and it always works—love yourself and be ready for any opportunity regarding love, work, or anything else. And like RuPaul says, “if you don’t love yourself, how in hell you gonna love somebody else?” Embracing myself hasn’t been as difficult as people may think, because I’ve always tried to let my family, friends, and crushes in to get to know me better and really understand me.
“Embracing myself hasn’t been as difficult as people may think, because I’ve always tried to let my family, friends, and crushes in to get to know me better and really understand me.”
Gata: When and why did you start modeling?
Nalin: I’ve been modeling for about 3 years now. I started because I love fashion, and also because it is a great challenge to model as a trans woman.
Gata: You are a modern girl living in western Thailand. Do you feel that people in the year 2019 are more accepting of your identity, or do you think that there is still a lot to work on?
Nalin: Good question. Being different than the rest is always hard, not just for trans women. But it’s 2019. Everyone deserves equality, and I believe that a day will come when everyone coexists with each other independently of gender, size, or skin tone. In our case, we have to prove ourselves a bit more to book jobs, and it’s not easy. But you know what? Things have developed a lot compared to 5 or 10 years ago.
Gata: Do you feel contrast depending on which country you are in?
Nalin: Absolutely. We have different educational backgrounds, different traditions, and we speak different languages. For me, it’s really fun to see the differences so we can all learn from each other and become better people.
Gata: You are a photographer under the name The Cayenne Peppers. Tell us more about your work.
Nalin: The Cayenne Peppers has been around for 2 years already. I love film photography so much, and I hope to capture interesting people in interesting places. It started in Bangkok, where I live. Bangkok is beautiful and very unique, a multicultural city where the local life and style is still alive. When I travel to other cities in Thailand I also carry my camera—the whole country is just a dream. I really want to represent Thailand with my photography, I hope my work is good enough! I am always trying my best. Let’s vacay in Thailand together, guys!
Gata: Which camera are you using for your analog work?
Nalin: I use mostly cameras from the Olympus mju family, especially the mju II. The quality is gorgeous, and the pictures are very sharp. I am always so excited to take a look at the pictures after shooting them.
Gata: What are your future plans and dreams?
Nalin: Right now I am working very hard to one day be able to work and travel around Europe, or maybe New York. I want new experiences, to be able to see different cultures, to meet new creatives and people I can learn things from. Those are my dreams so far…