Mumbai-based fashion designer Swapnil Shinde came out to the world as a transwoman on Tuesday with a new face and a new name - Saisha. The new identity resembles nothing like how Swapnil is known to the world. Instead of a rugged stubble and pompadour haircut, Saisha now sports flawless skin, perfectly arched brows and long soft curls.
Along with her new look, the 39-year-old designer also took to social media to share a long post about the pain and suffering she felt throughout her school and college years for being 'different'.
"Irrespective of your origin, there will always be something that reminds you of your childhood. For me, it takes me back to the kind of loneliness that aches, to pressures that pushed me into solitude and the chaos of confusion that grew every moment. I felt suffocated living a reality that I knew wasn't mine, yet one that I had to stage every day because of societal expectations and norms,” wrote Saisha and added, “It was only in my early 20s at NIFT where I found the courage to accept my truth; I truly bloomed. I spent the next few years believing that I was attracted to men because I was gay, but it was only six years ago that I finally accepted to myself, and today that I accept to you. I'm not a gay man. I am a Transwoman.”
The designer, who is known for often designing outfits for Sunny Leone and Hina Khan apart from dressing other actresses like Kareena Kapoor Khan, Bhumi Pednekar, Hina Khan and Taapsee Pannu, also shared the meaning of her new name. "Saisha means a meaningful life and I plan to make mine an exceptionally meaningful one," she captioned her post.