Horse Barbie: A Memoir of Reclamation by Geena Rocero is paired with Rue Saint Paul in Cobble Hill, a sustainable collective and closet dedicated to offering new, rental, and pre-owned sustainable fashion. Both Geena Rocero and Rue Saint Paul pioneer ethical and critical conversations within the fashion industry without compromising their values and voices.
PICK UP INSTRUCTIONS: Please note that you will need to pick this up at Rue Saint Paul located at 313 Court Street Brooklyn, NY 11231. See here for their store hours and details. When picking up, please mention you have pre-purchased on our website, and share your confirmation number and name.
Book Description (Paperback)
“A moving chronicle of trans resilience and joy” (Vogue) from one of Out100’s Most Impactful and Influential LGBTQ+ Storytellers
“Groundbreaking . . . [Rocero] quite literally models what triumph can look like.”—Glamour (Women of the Year)
WINNER OF THEM’S AWARD FOR LITERATURE • A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Book Riot, Elle, Esquire
As a young femme in 1990s Manila, Geena Rocero heard, “Bakla, bakla!,” a taunt aimed at her feminine sway, whenever she left the tiny universe of her eskinita. Eventually, she found her place in trans pageants, the Philippines’ informal national sport. When her competitors mocked her as a “horse Barbie” due to her statuesque physique, tumbling hair, long neck, and dark skin, she leaned into the epithet. By seventeen, she was the Philippines’ highest-earning trans pageant queen.
A year later, Geena moved to the United States where she could change her name and gender marker on her documents. But legal recognition didn’t mean safety. In order to survive, Geena went stealth and hid her trans identity, gaining one type of freedom at the expense of another. For a while, it worked. She became an in-demand model. But as her star rose, her sense of self eroded. She craved acceptance as her authentic self yet had to remain vigilant in order to protect her dream career. The high-stakes double life finally forced Geena to decide herself if she wanted to reclaim the power of Horse Barbie once and for all: radiant, head held high, and unabashedly herself.
A dazzling testimony from an icon who sits at the center of transgender history and activism, Horse Barbie is a celebratory and universal story of survival, love, and pure joy.