Australian transgender model Gemma Cowling has opened up about her struggles with gender identity.
The 20-year-old, who was born as a boy, made the transition from male to female in late 2015 after coming out to her family as a transgender woman.
Speaking to Elle, the Adelaide model revealed how she would be defined as a transgender – an identity she said has ‘no bearing’ on who she really is.
Transgender model Gemma Cowling has opened up about her struggles with gender identity
The 20-year-old, who was born as a boy, made the transition from male to female in late 2015
‘Something I’ve struggled with recently is people assuming my gender identity is my personality or the most interesting thing about me,’ she told the magazine.
‘I’m at a stage in my career now where I’m trying to step away from that because I don’t think it has that much bearing on who I am as a person.’
After coming out to her family in November 2015, Gemma said she tried to figure out who her new identity was – so she started being ‘super-girlie and loving make-up’ – but she soon realised it was ‘unnecessary’.
‘It took me a while, especially after I came out, to settle into who I was because while staying the same, I was kind of inventing a completely new person,’ she said.
The model revealed how she would be defined as a transgender – an identity she said is a far cry from who she really is
In July, the stunning blonde was named as the face of Toni&Guy’s new campaign, ‘You Define You’.
‘There is nothing more important than expressing who you truly are and working with Toni&Guy on the You Define You campaign has been really empowering,’ Gemma said.
‘I think it’s so impressive that they have embraced the diversity of modern women with the You Define You campaign.
‘I hope everyone feels as confident as I did rocking these three looks.’
The aspiring model previously said she knew she was born to be a woman despite growing up feeling out of place
In an interview with Daily Mail Australia last year, the aspiring model said she knew she was born to be a woman despite growing up feeling out of place.
‘It was abundantly clear to me that something was off but I wasn’t exactly sure what that was,’ she said.
‘There were a lot of times where I sort of looked around and thought something wasn’t right and I didn’t fit together.’
She said it was not until transgender women became accessible in mainstream media and modern society that she was able to put her own identity in to words.
‘It was at a time when Laverne Cox was on the cover of Time Magazine and people like Caitlyn Jenner were starting to be an accepted reality,’ she said.
She said it was not until transgender women became accessible in mainstream media and modern society that she was able to put her own identity in to words
Since being discovered, her career has taken off – gracing the catwalks and fashion shows
‘They gave me a word, a name and an idea behind what was going on in my life.
‘Before that it hadn’t been something I’d heard of or interacted with in anything but a negative way.’
The eloquent model, who was then 19, said she was interested in fashion from an early age, and was planning to break in to the industry before she was scouted.
Since being discovered in 2016, Gemma’s career has taken off.
She debuted on the runway that same year at the Adelaide Fashion Festival and after moving to Sydney, her career has continued to grow.
The move has seen Gemma walk at both VAMFF and MBFWA for some of Australia’s most acclaimed designers including Christopher Esber.