• ELIXHER
• On January 22, 2014

Holding true to your many identities while simultaneously navigating your way through the critical eye of media is a very complicated task, especially if you’re a social minority in society.

I got the opportunity to interview Mia Ryan, breakout star of OWN Network’s “Houston Beauty,” and let me tell you, she holds her own gracefully and is a force to be reckoned with. Being a woman of transgender experience, Mia was a focal point on the show that highlighted the journeys of students at the renowned Franklin Beauty School in Houston, Texas as they work towards receiving their cosmetology licenses.

Mia had been in and out of enrollment at the school dating back to the summer of 2011 due to financial stress and her needing to make ends meet in order to keep a roof over her head. We got to watch as she battled with what she calls her “illegitimate affairs” of being an escort and trying to make it through the program to achieve her goal of being a licensed cosmetologist and having her own salon. At the conclusion of the program, we knew that we had to interview her, not only to discuss her navigating throughout the show, but also what her future goals were and how she planned to pave a way for younger girls coming up in the world.

Power is in our names and Mia made sure to stress that fact to me on the phone. During confessionals on the show, the producers would peg her as “Mia/Ryan” with Ryan being her birth name. I saw this as quite insulting and demeaning but Mia adopted that name, not because she is confused of her own being, but because she loves and nurtures every aspect of herself.

Having been born and socialized as Ryan, Mia felt that her transition forced her to forget that part of herself. “At the same time I’m still dealing with Ryan and I transitioned to Mia and I totally forgot about Ryan and I’m reaching back out and loving and nurturing and coddling him,” Mia gushes. She refuses to forget that who she once was laid the foundation for who she is now, and she embraces her name to confirm her trans* identity and acknowledge that lived experience.

Though Mia Ryan openly addresses her identity, she stresses the fact that she doesn’t want it to be her “claim to fame.” When asked her credentials, she emphatically states, “I am a transgender woman but first and foremost I’m a human being! A philanthropist, beauty guru, hairstylist and makeup artist, and television personality.” So why did she divulge the fact that she is transgender on such a huge platform?

Simply because she is a straightforward and honest person, and authenticity is key to being a successful mover and shaker in the industry. She admits, ” It was hard at first because I didn’t want to be criticized or ridiculed but on the hopes that someone could be inspired, I took a chance.”

During our interview, Mia noted that there is no standard for who we should be as women, and in order for us to fully reach our potential, we need to allow ourselves to be “inspired by who we see (her idols being Janet Mock and Marci Bowers), but take the most to be who we are meant to be.”

She also confessed that being a woman with multiple subordinate identities is challenging, especially when it comes to finding a job and dealing with adversity and marginalization; however, she perseveres. Having been consistently misgendered on the television show, she didn’t allow that to break her down or limit her dreams, for she saw that she did what she had to do in order to invest in her future career.

Escorting and sex work is a harsh reality for many transgender women, especially those of color, due to the fact that we have been historically ostracized and have trouble finding ways to make a living. When asked about her intentions on disclosing this intimate part of her life, she spoke very passionately stating, “I think that I have shown the world parts a lot of us (transgender women) don’t like to show but it’s reality and what a lot of trans* women are subjected to. The first thing is helping us to more forward I visibility and awareness one story at a time to formulate some type of help for our community.” And so living her reality, walking in her truth, and speaking in her voice could open up an avenue for dialogue/conversation surrounding the seemingly taboo and obfuscated aspects of some lives of marginalized trans* women, specifically of color, in society.

She sees herself as a woman first and “the rest are categories that society puts in place to [subjugate her].” She refuses to allow her surroundings limit her walk and is adamant about using her platform to be a voice for those that have been silenced for so long. “I should continue to be an open book and allow my experiences to bring awareness to the world and how trans* women are perceived… I just want the world to keep watching!” she proclaims.

Mia has since moved to Atlanta, but has hopes of being on television again and seeing her name in lights. If you weren’t on her train before, you better hop on now because this woman has got a promising journey ahead of her.