BIZZ
Deja Smith: The Beauty Behind The Beauty / by David Correa
On May 7, 2013, perched on top of a New York City rooftop, nestled under the lights of the Empire State Building, Laverne Cox and Deja Smith started their working relationship. It was a party filled with entertainment industry professionals. Guests were there in support of a new endeavor: Double-D Productions (DD-Pro). Created by Deja and business partner Dee TrannyBear, this concierge hair and makeup duo aimed to use the art of beauty to advance transgender, gender non-conforming, and non-binary individuals. The masterful makeup artist was once a 13-year old sneaking out of her Amityville, NY, home in search of the real-life Paris is Burning. As many others before her, she found a second home in the West Village full of people she could finally identify with. Though strictly forbidden by her parents, by age fifteen, she participated in her first NYC Pride March. Pride so often serves as a time and place where the closet doors blow open and LGBTQ people get to live out loud. Once the celebrations end, many have to readjust back to the restrictions of day-to-day life. As a transgender woman of color, Deja fought daily social stigma and because of that,continues to be a proponent for other trans people. Much like her friend Laverne, she never misses an opportunity to speak out against injustice and push for equality. When asked where she finds the courage to be so vocal, Deja said, “It’s not courage; I have no choice. It troubles me daily. I wake up and go to sleep thinking about how many trans women of color have been murdered. Could it be me one day?”
70
The trans c o m m u n i t y h a s been forced to mourn far too often. Modern day leaders
such as Laverne Cox and Janet Mock make a point to carry on the legacy of Stonewall legends like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera to put an end to the hatred ad violence. These women are intertwined through their stories of transition and passion for justice. Deja is a shining example of their work. Her accomplishments alone illustrate the power of perseverance and give others a source of inspiration. Shewas most recently nominated for her work on The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the 2017 Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Guild Awards. “I didn’t realize how big of a deal it was until I was standing there with Dee TrannyBear and Ve Neill [Oscar Award-winning makeup artist] walked in the door.” Despite her success and notoriety, Deja often looks back to the times when playing in her mother’s makeup was a secret escape. “When I was alone, I was always messing around in makeup, but I couldn’t show it, so it became a shameful thing.” Now Deja gets to play in makeup for a living and was able to turn that shame into something positive. From sneaking into her mother’s lipstick and blush to being an award-nominated artist, she has come a long way since the early days at the Christopher Street Pier. Deja uses her history and struggles to inspire her activism and apply it to the work of DD-Pro. This year Deja celebrates her 35th birthday, and because the average life expectancy for trans women of color is 35, she is devoting this year to her sisters by producing events that will better the trans community. DD-Pro is working on a fundraiser called “The Better After 35 Function”. All proceeds from the event will go to the Trans and Gender NonConforming Leadership Academy of the AntiViolence Project.