Geena Rocero is an award-winning producer, director and author of "Horse Barbie: A Memoir."

Why you should listen

As Cameron Russell puts it, professional models are people who have won the genetic lottery, born with the DNA for long legs, great skin and dazzling smiles. The advertising industry presents these gorgeous folks as idealized versions of ourselves to sell us clothes, makeup, cars. But behind the fabulousness, there's always an interesting story.Born in Manila, Geena Rocero moved to New York in 2005 to pursue a modeling career. Signed to Next Models, she has worked with Rimmel Cosmetics, Hanes, and many other fashion and beauty companies. Through her own experience into womanhood, she realized her bigger purpose in life was to share her journey and work towards justice and beauty.

Geena Rocero’s TED talk

More news and ideas from Geena Rocero

In Brief

Kashmir Hill and Surya Mattu win Tech in Journalism Award and more TED news

November 20, 2018

It’s been a busy few weeks for the TED community. Below, our favorite highlights. Meet 2018’s Technology in Journalism Honorees. Journalists Kashmir Hill and Surya Mattu received this year’s Technology in Journalism Award from the National Press Foundation for their work on “The House That Spied On Me.” The article details how they transformed Hill’s […]

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News

More than visibility: Geena Rocero’s TED Talk, two years later

March 31, 2016

It was the day of my TED Talk, worried about stumbling on stage. What if my slides don’t work? What if I completely black out on the words that I passionately wanted to share? I was about to step onto that stage, declaring the fullness of my womanhood; my journey as a trans person from the Philippines. […]

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Playlist

7 talks on the transgender experience

June 8, 2015

Alice Miller was born in a body that didn’t feel like hers. Every day, Yee Won Chong has to debate whether to use the men’s restroom or the women’s. Geena Rocero found success as a fashion model — but kept her birth gender a secret for nearly a decade, fearing what others would think. All […]

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