Thailand transvestite perfomers gather back state at the Miss Tiffany show in Pattaya, Thailand.
Back in my early days as the AP's chief photographer in Thailand, I found myself covering one of the country's famous transvestite beauty pageants in Pattaya, a coastal city about 100 kilometers southeast of Bangkok.
This particular pageant, sponsored by Miss Tiffany, a theater that offers two nightly "ladyboy" shows for tourists, featured Thais 18 to 25 years old.
Photographers generally were given backstage access to the pageant in the early rounds. I also was often granted access during the finals.
While the pageant was going on, the cast and crew would watch the production to make sure that things were running smoothly and also contend with any problems that might occur.
Everyone moved back and forth through frequent costume changes and the rhythm of the pageant was usually organized chaos. The Miss Tiffany show is very much like a Las Vegas review. The competition, complete with a swimsuit category, looks much the same as any beauty pageant you may have seen before.
That's because most southeast Asian men have little to no body hair and are naturally slender by nature. It isn't difficult for ladyboys to quickly move from one gender to another in appearance.
There was no time to really do any photography during the shows except to document the pageant. The key then and now still is speed. After the winner was announced and photographed, my driver and I would make a mad dash back to Bangkok as I worked on the images on a laptop. I then would immediately file the photos after arriving at the AP's downtown bureau, usually around 4am.
This particular pageant, sponsored by Miss Tiffany, a theater that offers two nightly "ladyboy" shows for tourists, featured Thais 18 to 25 years old.
Photographers generally were given backstage access to the pageant in the early rounds. I also was often granted access during the finals.
While the pageant was going on, the cast and crew would watch the production to make sure that things were running smoothly and also contend with any problems that might occur.
Everyone moved back and forth through frequent costume changes and the rhythm of the pageant was usually organized chaos. The Miss Tiffany show is very much like a Las Vegas review. The competition, complete with a swimsuit category, looks much the same as any beauty pageant you may have seen before.
That's because most southeast Asian men have little to no body hair and are naturally slender by nature. It isn't difficult for ladyboys to quickly move from one gender to another in appearance.
There was no time to really do any photography during the shows except to document the pageant. The key then and now still is speed. After the winner was announced and photographed, my driver and I would make a mad dash back to Bangkok as I worked on the images on a laptop. I then would immediately file the photos after arriving at the AP's downtown bureau, usually around 4am.
Miss Tiffany Show performers head for a costume change backstage.
Contestants in the Miss Tiffany pageant prepare for judging.
A contestant in the Miss Tiffany transvestite beauty pageant prepares for judging.
A contestant in the Miss Tiffany transvestite beauty pageant prepares for judging.
A transvestite perfomer looks on during a break back stage at the Miss Tiffany show in Pattaya, Thailand.
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