(Written on 9/2)
Samoa is so different than I imagined it to be before I moved here. I had poured over the literature that we were sent, and I diligently scoured the internet for every scrap of information available on the island. However to truly appreciate and understand the culture's uniqueness you have to visit one of the Samoan islands.
This Saturday night nearly all of us WorldTeachers attended the annual Island Queen pageant. Considering how conservative American Samoa is, I could imagine the pageant fitting in, just as local pageants have a pretty tight hold on the bible belt (although I am not entirely sure how faith and pageants go hand in hand…). However what was a little different about this pageant is that it was not your typical Miss Island pageant of beautiful women competing for the crown, it was a pageant of beautiful women who used to be men competing for the crown. That's right – it was a fa'afafine pageant (aka. Transgender).
One of the many wonderful things about Samoa is that there is a long standing traditional acceptance of the transgender culture here (although it apparently isn't cool to be gay… which is strange) that has existed for hundreds of years. Fa'afafines (pronounced fah-fah-fee-nay) are also much more common here than in the states, and if I had to venture a guess I would say about one out of every 35 – 40 women is a fa'afafine. Nowadays there are both pre-op and post-op fa'afas, but it is very accepted here that fa'afas are women.
Of course the pageant being a fa'afa pageant made it even more amazing, and to add to the fun we got discount tickets because Steve of our group got wrangled into judging! When Steve had told us about the event the week before, I imagined it to be in a small bar at the Tradewinds with a hundred or some people attending – but when we got there on Saturday we found out it was poolside with about 400 people attending. I can't really compare the event to other pageants as I have never been to another, but I could tell that it had a distinctly Samoan and fa'afafine flair.
The night consisted of show encompassing outfits designed using traditional Samoan plants, evening gowns, talent sections, interviews, and even bathing suits. We were amazed at how fun the night was, from the scandalous bathing suits, to the interesting talents, and the hilarious MCing from Dakota who came and spoke to us for our orientation. Here are some of the highlights:
During the talent competition one woman did a lip sync rendition of "My Life" with dramatic revealing of pictures of her throughout the years – as a boy, as a man, and finally as a woman. The unforgettable part was when the next woman came out and did the exact same songs – with the exact same pictures! Did she forget her props? Not plan anything? We may never know…
Dakota had some hilarious commentary that was true to the Samoan sense of humor which people from the states might consider rude or 'over the line'. For me this is of course perfect. Some classic Dakota quotes:
As a contestant in a bikini comes out on stage:
"If you see anything that shouldn't be there that's just your eyes playing tricks"
As one contestant was modeling her outfit:
"Mmmmm… She looks as good as a McDonalds Sunday! And you can get her for 2.99!"
One contestant's talent was an interpretive song about a pregnant teenager, and she was dressed with a fake pregnant belly. After she finishes the next contestant came out for their talent.
"Ooo! She looks pregnant too!"
Ouch…
Needless to say the night was very memorable, and I definitently had a good time. I only wish that I could have gotten more pictures but the lighting was poor and we were a little too far for the pictures to come out well. However after the show Brigit and I got this lovely picture with the newly crowned queen, Didi.
All in all, yet another night that reinforces my love of this year so far.
No comments:
Post a Comment