Tommy Dorfman, who came out as transgender in July, doesn’t underestimate the power of makeup.
“Makeup is a powerful way to transform everything from your bone structure to how your viewed in the world to your own aesthetic,” the 29-year-old actress told InStyle in a Tuesday, August 24, interview. “It can be an amazing tool for affirmation and I think a lot of the makeup techniques that trans women developed to hyper feminize their faces have been appropriated by certain cis influencers, celebrities and makeup artists.”
From contouring to baking, a handful of beauty techniques have stemmed from the “queer community — drag queens and trans people.”
“It’s funny to see cis women beat their faces and not know the process behind it. But none of those women are standing up for trans women,” Dorfman added.
The 13 Reasons Why star fully embraced all things glam for her photo shoot, which was part of the magazine’s Beauty Issue. From over-lined red lips to curled red hair, the actress, who turned to hairstylist Rob Talty and makeup artist Kali Kennedy, looked stunning in the spread.
“Wiiiigggggg,” she captioned an Instagram post, sharing a photo from the shoot. Fans were quick to applaud the star’s look, taking the comments section by storm.
“It’s the glamour for me,” a fan wrote. “SHE IS MAGNIFICENT SHE IS STUNNING SHE IS FLAWLESS,” another person chimed in. “Wigging out,” another person quipped.
Later in the interview, Dorfman opened up about her decision publicly “clarify” that she’s a trans women, which she announced via a Time feature.
“Whenever I close my eyes or dream, I see myself as a woman. That was always the case. A trans elder asked me what I see myself as when I’m older, when I’m 60, 70, 90. It was just so clear, I just saw Cate Blanchett,” she said.
Dorfman continued: “But I really couldn’t imagine not being a mother or a grandmother. My spirit was so attuned to whatever it means to be a woman. I’ve walked i the privilege of a male body, but [being a woman] is all I’ve known on the inside. Trans women would clock me all the time and be like, ‘Hey, girl, what’s up?’ because it’s sort of a thing you recognize.”
While she made a public announcement in July, Dorfman said in her interview with Time magazine that she had been “privately identifying and living as a woman — a trans woman” for a year.
“It’s funny to think about coming out because I haven’t gone anywhere. I view today as a reintroduction to me as a woman, having made a transition medically. Coming out is always viewed as this grand reveal, but I was never not our. Today is about clarity: I am a trans woman. My pronouns are she/her. My name is Tommy.”
