Medyo na-tense si Markki Stroem nang rumampa siya sa Arab Fashion Week noong Oktubre 28 sa Dubai, UAE.
Paliwanag ni Markki, “Kasi, in Arab countries, bawal ang cross-dressing. At nag-heels ako dun, and underwear, and topless.
“So, there was a part in me that was like, ‘Omigosh! Baka I’ll be put in prison pagkatapos nito.’ Kasi, bawal dun.
“Pero nung sinabi sa akin ng mga models from all over the world na, ‘Grabe! You look like Ken! You look like Ken from Barbie blah-blah-blah!’
"In my head, parang sabi ko, ‘Wow! Thank you so much!’"
Dahil sa mga comments na yun, nawala ang kaba niya.
“Medyo nagkaroon ako ng confidence boost dito. So, hindi ako nagsa-shrug off. Kasi minsan, ‘Ahh, hindi ako pogi. Ahh, hindi!’ Pag sinabi nila, pogi ka, I’ll say, ‘Yes, thank you very much for that,’ na sinabi mo na pogi ako.
“And you know what, you’re beautiful, you’re gorgeous, you’re handsome, you’re good-looking, you are perfect for who you are.”
Napakibit-balikat si Markki, “Kasi, I don’t believe in anyone that’s unattractive. Because once you’re comfortable sa sarili mong skin, you’re always gonna be beautiful.”
Nag-alala si Markki na makulong sa Dubai. Sino ba ang nagbigay sa kanya ng idea na mag-high heels sa Arab Fashion Week?
“The designer from the States. Yung sinubmit was different from what I walked in,” salaysay ni Markki.
“Initially, yung sinubmit ng designer was three-inch heels, at naka-close yung cape. Kasi may cape, di ba? Hindi kita yung underwear.
“Kasi bawal yung underwear, bawal din ang cross-dressing. Double whammy! But the thing is… dahil ginawa ko yun, grabe! Ang daming supporters ng fashion world, from all over the world who were so fascinated by what I did in Dubai.
“Na they were asking me to do fashion week in different countries after this. In higher heels.”
May lumapit ba sa kanya matapos siyang rumampa at sinabihan siyang delikado ang ginawa niya?
“Actually, kinausap si Michael Cinco after. Kasi, I was walking for Michael Cinco after this. ‘You don’t have underwear in your show.’
“And Michael Cinco said, ‘No.’ And then he said, ‘Did you wear underwear?!’ And I said, ‘Yes because the designer told me.’
“And they’re like, ‘But don’t worry, it’s not your fault. If anything ever happens, it’s the designer’s fault for doing it.’
“But you know, I want to take credit as well for doing it, even if I’m following lang what the designer told me.
“And whatever happened, I mean wala namang ano. Walang nangyari, kasi, I did not tag na ano… even if when I watched the playback of our fashion week, six million viewers or something from all over the Middle East, wala namang ano.
“Because it’s a private event, wala silang masasabi. It’s a private fashion week. So, the thing is, hindi ko puwedeng i-tag ang D3, which is Dubai Design District.”
Siya lang ang may ganung pasiklab sa fashion extravaganza?
“Yeah. Ako yung closing ng show. Puro babae and then, ako yung last,” sabi ni Markki.
Trail-blazing ang ginawa niya, pero may danger!
“You know what, at the end of the day, I’m a dangerous person!” napapailing na pagmamatwid ni Markki.
“I do not give an F! So like if you want me to do that, I will promote the queer culture. I will do that. I will promote Harry Styles’ andro movement.
“We wanna be able to show the world that if women can wear men’s clothing, men can wear women’s clothing as well. And that’s completely fine.
“If you wanna do it, you can do it and there’s no shame in that.”