MUNROE BERGDORF
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ACTIVIST, MODEL AND WRITER MUNROE BERGDORF TALKS TO NIC CROSARA ABOUT HER UPCOMING MEMOIR AND MANIFESTO, TRANS FUTURES AND LETTING GO OF SHAME
PHOTO MARIANO VIVANCO
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Three things run through my mind in quick succession as the trailblazing Munroe Bergdorf joins our Zoom call. One: I can’t believe I’m talking to THE Munroe Bergdorf. Two: Wow, she looks like an absolute goddess. And lastly: How does it feel to be living my dream!? By this I mean, almost every inch of her wall is covered in stunning art and her Sphynx cat, Gigi, is showing her love while one of her three dogs, Teddy (aka “the worst guard dog ever”), is barking at the neighbour’s children walking past the door.
Throughout her career, the renowned activist, model and writer has made history and tirelessly advocated for a better future for those marginalised by society. In 2022 alone, she featured on the cover of Time Out, Hunger, British Vogue and, in a herstoric moment, became Cosmopolitan’s first trans woman cover star. “Magazine covers are not just magazine covers. It allows people to feel like they can see themselves reflected,” Munroe tells me. “Not seeing any Black models on the cover of magazines during the 90s and early 00s made a significant impact on the way that I saw beauty.” Munroe smiles as she thinks about the shift of seeing trans women on the front of covers. “That change now means that transness is beautiful and we don’t need magazine covers to acknowledge that, but I think that for a lot of people, it’s a conscious thing as well. We deserve to be seen.”