Strut

I am a strong, independent woman.

My walk is destructive.

I've been in Vogue. That's the fashion bible.

That explains my diva fu----- attitude.

I was a finalist on Top Model.

I want to be the perfect man.

I'm unfiltered. I just say it how it is.

They want a girl that's six-two, 35-25-35.

They didn't ask if you have a penis or not.

Slay Model Management

is the world's first transgender model agency.

Nice. It's an uphill battle.

People don't even know what being transgender is.

We are a model agency first and trans second.

I'm just gonna tell it like it is.

It's the nose.

The stakes are high here.

We are in competition with each other.

Don't trip.

Do you even want to be a model?

It just seems like you just don't even try.

I don't want to try. You're ashamed of me.

I just want you to get over the shame.

I have a brand. It's just not gonna happen.

We've always been here, and now you know.

Welcome.

*

*

: Hello?

I'm waiting down here, Ren.

20 more minutes. I'm getting dressed right now. Which is... I can't...

My name's Ren. I'm 22, and I'm

a "model."

CASSANDRA (in distance): Get down here!

My general philosophy on life is

do what you like, do who you like, and go with the flow.

I consider myself a tomboy.

I like video games, flannel, plaid, cute girls.

I like tall girls, sometimes short girls,

brunette girls, gothy girls.

Ren! My name is

Cassandra Cass.

And part of my job includes picking up the models.

Wrangling models is not the easiest job.

Hurry up!

Ren is

visually stunning.

She's tall. She moves like a gazelle.

Ooh!

When it was first born, of course,

and learning to walk.

Get in the car.

We see something

really extraordinary in Ren.

She could definitely be

on the cover of Vogue.

And now we're late.

We're not late. We'll get there when we get there.

I think Ren kind of takes a lot of this

for granted.

I don't get... We're putting

all this time and energy into you,

but your actions don't show you care.

No offense, what you're wearing looks like crap.

It does not. You look like you smell like

hot dog farts.

I mean, do you feel beautiful?

Back in high school, I thought

that I wouldn't ever really be able to transition

because I had a really...

: really, really deep voice.

Uh, eventually, I actually started just practicing...

: practicing, practicing, and then practicing

until I could get it to a comfortable tone.

You know, I never even anticipated any of this

from the beginning.

But you know what, Ren, this is your chance.

This whole modeling thing seems amazing, but, at the same time,

life's not been too kind.

I used

to be homeless, and at the end of the day,

you kind of have to look at things with a little bit

of skepticism. Who knows if anything's

gonna work out, pretty much.

You got to play the part a little.

You're trying to change someone's lifestyle.

Lifestyle? I'm trying to make sure On the t... on the turn of a dime.

you're on time.

Don't get so defensive. I'm just trying to help you.

I know.

*

Hey, handsome! Hey.

Hi.

I live in Harlem.

The attitude in Harlem is, uh... it's all about swag.

This is my city.

There are women eating corn in Iowa

who are gonna go bonkers for Laith.

He is just so hot.

That smile could just melt your panties.

I just took some photos, put them on Instagram.

I just wanted to show my friends. I didn't really expect

that anything would come of it. But the next day,

it was all over social media.

I've gotten stopped in the street a couple times.

Is this what a fan is? Do I have fans?

This is cool.

Since my transition, I've been celibate.

Girls do flirt with me,

but I'm still trying to figure out

whether I even want to date.

I'm still getting comfortable with who I am.

I'm still getting comfortable with my body.

I've only been transitioning for two years.

I'm still acclimating to my new self.

The negative comments that I get on just social media alone

makes me want to disappear.

I want people to see me as just who I am.

Trans comes secondary.

*

Hey, Cassandra.

My name is Cece, and I am the director

and founder of Slay Model Management.

Slay is almost a year old.

We want the really major brands, and we want

the commercial clients. That's where the money is.

I always feel I have to work doubly hard

to get half the recognition.

One day, it will just be a model agency.

Okay. So, this week's gonna be crazy.

Okay. Cassandra is my assistant.

She is trans herself.

So, I got a really big cover for Laith.

Oh, I love him. So, this is a big deal.

Is he gonna have his shirt off? Yes.

It's a swimsuit shoot.

Oh, I love it. Oh, God.

You are an HR nightmare.

It's really hard

having models both in L.A. and New York

which is why it's important that Cassandra is on point.

So, we have this model mixer coming up,

and this is really kind of exciting.

It's our one year anniversary.

Everything is under control.

I have the alcohol, I have the food,

I have all the invitations out. Uh-huh.

Don't forget to invite Claudia.

Claudia is a model at Slay.

Her ex-boyfriend hit on me.

She took that the wrong way,

sent me a bunch of really nasty,

nasty text messages, calling me trashy.

They're gonna have to get along

for one night.

This is one thing I...

I really don't want to worry about.

I understand.

Don't fail me.

*

* I'm on fire...

One, two, three.

Nice.

My name is Dominique. I've been a model for about 15 years.

That's really great.

Oh, my.

When I'm in front of the camera,

there's a dance

going on in my head that no one else sees.

Like there's

nothing wrong in the world.

Perfect. Up until

I got signed with Slay,

I was working as a model, but I was doing it quite secretly.

I couldn't tell anyone

that I'm trans.

I was always afraid

if they find out, you may lose the job.

Dominique should've been walking the runways

with all the huge supermodels

in the '90s. But, unfortunately,

they were not open to our kind.

I've hidden myself,

I've been embarrassed,

but I've still kept at it.

And now the opportunities are there,

because I have Slay and the right representation.

Amazing. It's like, who cares if you're trans?

Now's my time.

Thank you so very much.

Thank you.

Hey, dude. My husband and I

have been married for 18 years.

Hey. How you doin'? What's up?

My husband sees me as a woman that loves him.

Whatcha doin'?

Nothing. Checking the oil level,

the wiper fluid.

He works as an auto mechanic.

Basic meat-and-potatoes guy.