KATHOEYS
or the nicest
WOMEN

That was what Swiss star coiffeur Valentino said to himself – and went on to produce an elaborate beauty campaign with transgenders, kathoeys.

Valentino spent three years dreaming of this photo shoot. He developed a network in the world of the kathoeys and waited for the right moment to embark on the project. In the end fourteen of these beautiful surgical miracles, in whom any woman would find something to envy, were photographed at various exotic locations on the island of Phuket.

It was a production just like what one might expect in Miami, London or Paris. Photographer Ming Ming Zaw Tun, stylists, video crews, assistants and many more were kept very busy for three weeks, in order to realise a very special production starring these unknown beauties. The producers and the kathoeys were totally fascinated with each other.

Kati, Ant, Belle, Cherry and the other girls posed for the camera like true professionals, and enjoyed it. They not only enjoyed being women – they also relished the attention and being pampered and directed by Valentino and his crew as models in a beauty campaign.

Like Angels from Victoria’s Secret, they flaunted their immaculate bodies, gorgeous hair and sparkling eyes, wearing the outfits of well-known Asian fashion designers. They looked so perfect that no macho heterosexual man on the production team doubted for a second that they were really women.

Their perfume was intoxicating, their movements were graceful – and their breasts and lovely long legs were very sexy.

Location: Blue Siam Beach Club, Phuket, Bangtao Beach

Designers of women is what Valentino would call the beauty surgeons who model these perfect transgender creations. They are gods with a scalpel in a country where transsexuals are respected and even looked up to in both social and business contexts. The kathoeys captivate onlookers wherever they go.

Location: Blue Siam Beach Club, Phuket, Bangtao Beach

Unbelievable
"Born in a man's body,
but I've always been a woman"

Brilliant
Feminine, hypnotic and impressive – that’s the impression they make in public.

Locations: Blue Siam Beach Club, Phuket, Bangtao Beach

Location: Botanic Garden, Phuket

Location: Banzaan Market, Phuket

Location: Fishing Port, Phuket

Location: Elephant, Adventure Paradise, Phuket

Sexy
Kathoeys are much more of a presence in Thailand than in many western countries, and so they are socially accepted. This is partly a result of the Buddhist culture. The sacred scriptures mention four sexes: men, women, hermaphrodites and a fourth – the closest approximation to a kathoey: transgenders, men who deviate from the heterosexual norm.

Location: Baan Kalim View Villa, Phuket