Giving New Meaning to the Term "Girlcrush"

A warning to my more conservative readers: If the thought of me even discussing a "girlcrush" is disconcerting enough for you, I urge you to Walk. Away. Now. Seriously. I'll get back to you when I have less titillating subject matter to discuss... like, say, that roasted pig from Tony Bourdain's visit to Cebu, or whether or not I've purchased anything from MAC.

...Anyway. For those of you who still haven't walked away, here's a video of my latest girlcrush, BeBe Gandanghari.



Yes, I know, the weave doesn't do her justice... but look at her. Great legs. Killer cheekbones. If you watched this video on mute, as I often do, you'd think she's one of the sexiest Filipino women alive.

And I could go on and on about Miss BeBe here... except that I'd also point out to you that I've known her since she was a boy.

Yep: She's a MAN, baby.

There's not enough space in this blog (and for that you need Wikipedia) to tell you the saga of a boy who grew up in a family of macho action stars; became a macho actor himself; got married; got un-married (since divorce is verboten in the Philippines); went into seclusion; came out on national television (on Celebrity Big Brother, no less); and tried to make a name for himself as an openly gay man in an industry where most openly gay men end up with roles that are, shall we say, less than butch. And that's not even covering the life-changing trip to New York where he finally accepted his fate as a fashion-and-makeup-loving Girly Girl.

Not to mention that, as far as I know, BeBe is not even ready to disclose whether or not she... ahem... is even in the process of officially becoming a (post op) She, especially since her former boy self has been adamant about keeping his boy parts.

But I mention BeBe here, too, because it is an interesting pop-culture moment for many Filipinos; as I mentioned to Scribey earlier, if BeBe is somebody's idea of a performance-art commentary, then she's doing a better job of it than Joaquin Phoenix is doing right now. And I actually like her better, too - whereas the old boy version wasted those cheekbones on bland leading man roles where he barely registered on screen, she's funnier and much more engaging. I hate to say it, folks, but in this case it does take a real man to be a very good woman... and damned if she doesn't turn out to be a better role model (if not an enduring pop icon), just for being who she is.

In the meantime: If MAC - or even another cosmetic company - ever came out with a BeBe Gandanghari line of makeup and skin care, I would so be on it.

Edited to add: "BB" is short for "Binibini," which is the Tagalog word for "miss." So, if you think about it, the English translation of her name is actually Miss Beautiful King. Hee!