Freedom of expression of gender identity: Growing up as a skinny desi queer kid in Mumbai was not an easy journey for Rabanne Victor. But opportunities to express his sexuality and gender identity through modelling has been a liberating experience. It has also enabled Victor to reach a greater acceptance and expression of his authentic self
Rabanne Victor for Falgunie Shane Peacock at India Couture Week, Pics/Via Rabanne Victor, captured by Sanya Tawakley
The Indian ramp is witnessing alternative ideas of expression of gender identity. New versions of masculinity and femininity, both, neither and everything in between are emerging.
India Couture Week 2023 recently concluded its 16th edition at the Taj Palace in New Delhi. What truly stole the show for us was one such trailblazing ramp walk by gay model Rabanne Victor who strutted down the runway in a resplendent golden fishtail lehenga. Victor talked to Mid-day exclusively about his experience at India Couture Week and engaged in discussion with us about defying gender stereotypes and norms around clothing, and otherwise.
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Speaking about his ramp walk, Rabanne said, “I loved it. I had so much fun. But I don't have any practice walking in heels. Or in a lehenga. It was quite a heavy garment, plus the veil was pinned into my head. And so I walked out feeling really confident. But that first step, I miscalculated and I couldn't really see where my foot was going because of the lehenga. And I fell. And then after that, I was just in my head because I was only focused on not falling again. So I was shaky and I couldn't focus on keeping my stomach in and staying poised.”
Couture Week, unlike its deceptive name, is an event spanning eleven days - Rabanne talked about how early call times, long rehearsals and of course, the after-parties could potentially affect one’s sleep, but conversely also help one understand more about one’s body. Thus, if Victor felt nervous about his initial stumble, we certainly didn’t notice it because of how gracefully he completed the rest of his walk!
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In an interview with India Today, the model had mentioned that he felt like a princess walking in a lehenga and high heels for the first time - and he confirmed that the walk definitely felt like coming into his own. Rabanne was originally slated to walk for Falguni Shane Peacock at an event in 2016, but could not join the roster at the time because of the label’s prerequisite of clean-shaven male models.
“Well, apart from the fact that I look really ridiculous with a clean shave, I told them I couldn’t do it because I had already been booked for other shows,” he chuckled and told us. In 2023 too, Victor was a surprise addition to the Falguni Shane lineup.
“I was accompanying my friend and the fitting got over at a really late hour, nearly 11 p.m. And then Shane and Falguni were there. And I was like, Shane, you know what? I'd really love to do this show with a clean shave. But only if you put me in women's wear. And they were like, come on, we have one. There's one fishtail lehenga. Let's just try it on. I was in the changing room, I put it on.”
Victor describes the moment that followed as a simple yet rich moment of queer joy -
“And I was just like, I just felt so beautiful there. It's insane how a garment can transform the way you see yourself and how you feel. I just felt so beautiful.”
“When I stepped out to show them, I mean, I just couldn't stop blushing. I was just so happy. And I was feeling myself. I didn't have heels on, but I was walking on my toes. And I just felt like a diva, supermortal. Then when they put the veil on, it took it up to another level. Because under the veil, I mean, I don't really know what a bride feels like. But I imagine that's what a happy bride would feel like.”
Rabanne confesses that the designers did not have to make any alterations to the outfit - and even allowed him to walk the ramp sporting a stubble. A true win-win situation!
Pre-modelling, Victor always worked in industries that allowed him to keep his creative juices flowing. He did multiple stints as a graphic designer, a promotional manager for events, and even worked in refurbishing furniture and interior decor. Travel was a constant undertone in all the jobs he chose, which is part of the reason he loves the modelling business as well.
Much like his 2023 walk at India Couture Week, modelling was also a luck-by-chance affair for Victor. After working in Sri Lanka, he returned to Mumbai and was almost literally cast off the streets.
“My best friend, she was with an agency. And she had a meeting with them. And so I went on my scooter to drop her. And then they saw me outside and they asked her for my Facebook. And then they contacted me and asked me if I'd be interested in modelling. I never really thought of modelling as a job for me. Because I've always been very self-conscious. But touchwood, things went really well from there.”
We asked Rabanne to share a little bit about his first steps in the modelling industry as an openly gay model. He shared that he was often harassed growing up for being skinny and long hair, which had also affected his self-perception and bodily acceptance. While he did face rejections initially for having a lean and lithe figure, he also received the opportunity to work with fashion bigwigs early on, which put his face on the Indian fashion scene right from the start
Over the years, the fashion industry has undergone a tectonic shift in terms of greater willingness towards inclusivity and diversity of body sizes (even though the ‘fantastical’ male body is very much considered the more socially ‘legitimate’ body). It seems as though the largely homogenous appeal for the much touted ‘muscular alpha male body’ and the ‘macho’ garb is coming off with an orientation towards models that defy aesthetic conventions of size and colour - and Victor’s physique and statement hair serve as proof of the embracing of the more youthful, ‘boyish’ look.
Modelling is often perceived as ‘performative’ and for an audience - but we asked Rabanne if conversely, it has also made him feel more comfortable in his own skin.
“There's good days and bad days. Some shoots, I'll be feeling wonderful about my body. But then there's other days where I'm not so happy. And then there's many times where I'm like, okay, this is really not the right line of work for me.”
Victor’s journey with mental illness and body image also led to him feeling conscious about himself auditioning alongside other models in the past. But he says, “One thing I've learnt about myself from modelling is that I'm not going to change who I am. Take it or leave it.”
Fashion and clothing have been such an integral part of identity and self-expression for so many in the queer community (even while wearing/not wearing a certain kind of outfit can also reinforce social constructs and stereotypes about queer identities). We asked Rabanne if fashion and gender-fluid sartorial choices have helped him in his journey of queerness.
Rabanne tells us how he was ridiculed for being effeminate or ‘girly’ owing to his physique and long hair while growing up as a desi queer kid in Mumbai. Things changed during that crucial, tender period of young adulthood, when he received the opportunity to study in San Francisco.
“I first got a taste for it when I went to university. I studied in San Francisco, which was, I don't know if it still is, but back then it was the gay capital of the world. And when I went there, I mean, I got to, like, really, I wasn't very flamboyant with my dressing or anything. And I didn't really go too crazy. But, like, small things, like, I bought a pair of red skinny jeans, which in Bombay I would never have done. But I bought them in San Francisco and I'd wear them to college and stuff. And I just felt so nice to be able to dress how I wanted, without anybody looking at me or make bashing comments. My friends and I used to paint little hearts on our faces - and small things like that made me happy.”
With inclusivity becoming paramount for fashion, Victor says that modelling has become a safe space for him. “It's a great time to be in the industry right now. In the fashion scene, I get to go for shows and have makeup on. And then, when you're with the fashion crowd at the after-parties and things, I don't really think too much because I know I'm with like-minded people.”
“But yeah, dressing, fashion really has been liberating. It’s simple things like just a smoky eye. It makes me feel so confident. Yeah, even wearing heels is so empowering at that height.”
We also asked Victor what it felt like to be smashing gender norms through clothing.
“Oh my gosh, it's overwhelming and scary. I'm just grateful that I get to do this. Yeah, I'm just overwhelmed and very thankful. And I find (the attention) very odd also.”
“But I'm very grateful. And I remember, for me, the Falguni Shane thing actually brought back memories from my childhood. Because I remember when I was in school, I went to my best friend's house in the fourth grade. And she had a ballerina dress. And so I was at her house and I put it on. And I was so excited to have it on. I was dancing around and stuff. And I didn't want to take it off.”
From a tutu-clad fourth grader who was floating on air as he walked back home to a model who has become a prominent face of gender-fluid fashion, India Couture Week has certainly marked a full-circle moment for Rabanne Victor.
Labels are now embracing androgynous fashion and stylistic elements even amidst a conservative insistence on queerness as a ‘western’ concept that has infiltrated and sullied ‘Indian’ culture. In the context of increasing rallying for LGBTQIA+ rights in india, and the ongoing petition concerning same-sex marriage at the India Supreme Court, brands like Falguni Shane Peacock and Sabyasachi are introducing bridal couture and fashion incorporating gender-fluid aesthetics and flair. Ethnic outfits now have gender-fluid elements, like the outfit Rabanne Victor flaunted at India Couture Week as well as for his Sabyasachi ‘Charbagh’ shoot.
While this certainly points to a trend of allyship, it remains to be seen whether the fashion industry and brands will perceive gender fluidity and inclusivity purely as commercially viable factors that can be banked upon or truly maintain their stance on equality and diversity in the long term.
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