ANJALI Lama, 32, may be a little older than your average aspiring catwalk model, but in a roomful of runway aspirants she clearly stands out with her razor-sharp cheekbones, wiry frame and endless legs.
At the modelling audition for Lakme Fashion Week’s (LFW) Summer/Resort 2017 edition, she fits right in, wearing the de rigueur black mini dress and doing the catwalk with practised poise. And although she is pitted against an equally beautiful bevy of female competitors, it is probably one of those rare occasions that Lama, Nepal’s first transgender model, feels like she truly fits in.
But Lama’s story hasn’t always been about fitting in. For someone who discovered at a very young age that she was transgender and finally came out to her family and the world in 2005, her life since has been more about discovering her true identity, owning it and creating a niche for herself.