Ella was the first runner-up in Miss Trans Queen 2023 beauty pageant. She is the trans face of lingerie brand Zivame. Her journey as a transwoman was full of struggles and challenges. She faced bullying at her school and was ridiculed in government offices. Despite all the hurdles, she became an independent and empowered woman.
Delhi: To realize one’s purpose and identity is the greatest achievement of all. One’s tale of perseverance becomes a source of inspiration for others. It’s almost incomprehensible to imagine how many people struggle to express themselves fully due to the fear of society. They consider their identities crooked and grapple with forming their own unique place among their fellows. Ella D Verma is a profound example of resilience and inspiration.
Who is Ella?
Ella was born in Delhi in a middle-class family. Her father, Mr Verma is a businessman and her mother, Varsha Verma, is a homemaker. She also has a younger sister. She completed her schooling from Sr. Mark’s Senior Secondary Public School in Mira Bagh, Delhi. She was born as a male and was given the name Dev Verma in her childhood.
Mother said, ‘You’re gay.’
As a child, Ella liked spending time with girls and gossiped with them. She indulged in wearing female styled clothes and beautified her appearance with make-up. It was all well since it made her feel good about herself. She was a young child and never questioned her gender identity. It was the society that made her question her choices. They would point at her dressing style and would joke about her appearance. Ella’s true identity suffocated amidst this rebuke, and she constantly felt trapped with these experiences.
As she hit puberty, the intense bodily changes made her feel uncomfortable with her own body. She doubted her existence and felt disconnected with the real world. Her confidence dwindled as she could not be feminine according to the societal expectations. She finally gathered up the courage to talk about the matter with her maternal uncle. She had discussed the same with her mother, but her mother had disregarded her feelings saying that she was a homosexual.
Adapting to the change
Over the years, her family became more understanding of her gender identity. She was taken to the hospital to consult doctors about her internal struggles. The doctors couldn’t comprehend her dilemma and prescribed her medication suggesting that she should try to stay happier. Nothing of this helped, and her parents decided to send her to her aunt in Australia. At the same time, the lockdown was announced and her plans of moving to Australia were disrupted.
The alone time she spent with herself during this period made her realize that only she has the ability to assert her identity confidently. Ella began her journey of self-transformation into a female. She created social media accounts on Instagram and YouTube and began posting her modelling videos. She gained thousands of followers and received many offers for modelling. But Ella was still unsure to put herself out there in the spotlight.
The bullying
The reason Ella was super excited to move to Australia was because this was a way for her to put all her past behind to start a new beginning. She had experienced bullying in her school because of her transgender identity. She excelled in academics, and co-curricular activities like singing and sports while being mentally harassed by people’s scorn. She shared a terrifying incident when during her theatre practice, a bully pulled down her pants to harass her. This was extremely distressful and frightening for Ella and she grew a distance from her school.
Ella was a constant target for teasing; she was called with derogatory terms and the bullies did not allow her to participate in activities. Even during restroom visits, she used to tie a ribbon to the door latch to secure the lock to prevent boys from entering the restroom forcefully.
Bending identities
After fully accepting her female identity, Ella decided to make the corrections in her government identity cards. Even this was not an easy task for her. She would visit the government offices and would face the ridicule from the officials. Her requests were unnecessarily delayed so, her father accompanied her and got the work done.
The advertisement agencies would back out from the modelling offers after learning about Ella’s transgender identity. The meanness of people disappointed her, but she was determined to continue.
Power of social media
Ella received immense support from her followers on Instagram and YouTube. Her online presence garnered increasing love and admiration from people, which led to partnerships with prominent brands. She saw her dreams coming true when at the age of 17, she received an offer from the lingerie brand ‘Zivame’. She gained attention after her project with Zivame, and many other fashion brands lined up to hire her as a transgender model.
In 2023, Ella participated in Miss Trans Queen India pageant, and received the first runner-up position. She feels extremely proud of herself for having come a long way and she is truly an inspiration for people trying to establish their transgender identities.
Read Exclusive COVID-19 Coronavirus News updates, at MyNation.