I Am Just Me: How Rajat Singh Rose Above Prejudices As An Artist

At a time when major sections of Indian society are fighting to shatter gender norms and normalise the idea of letting people choose how they want to live, some people don't seem to do away with stereotypes, and artist Rajat Singh's story shows both sides of this.

In this conversation with SheThePeople, Rajat Singh talks about his journey in dance and fashion, how he went past name-calling and prejudices, and why he proudly showcases his grace.

Rajat Singh Story

I grew up in Aligarh, hearing compliments about my looks, as I had fair skin and curly hair. But things changed in school, where boys made fun of my red lips and called me pretty mockingly. But I didn’t let it get to me.

I was very popular in school as I loved to dance and theatre and participated actively in cultural events. Even though I tried to stay low-key in school, somehow, I was always the topic of interest. I didn’t have a lot of male friends in school as they hated me. The prejudice was not just restricted to the students, once my school teacher called me “nachaniya” as my interests were not “manly enough”.

Growing up, Bollywood songs fascinated me and I developed a keen interest in modelling. I spend a lot of time during 11 & 12th standard, clicking self-portraits and creating my portfolio.

After school ended, I moved to Delhi in the hope of getting scouted by a good modelling agency. But I faced the same prejudices in this big city. People often confused me for trans or a woman. Once I was in the metro queue, the guard asked me to move to the girls’ queue. People around me laughed and I acted as if it didn’t affect me, but that incident stayed with me for a long time.

I was blessed in terms of work, as I started getting a lot of assignments, but the years of name-calling and prejudices crippled my confidence and I let go of many good assignments as I wasn’t confident to pull them off.

That’s when I realised that I was not helping myself by getting affected by people’s stares and comments, so I started doing things that made me happy. I embraced my petite body and beautiful face. I started wearing clothes that looked good on me, and not to prove a point to anyone. And I started putting my videos on social media platforms as well. The love that I’ve received in the past couple of years has been immense.

Many people post negative comments when I wear a saree or a skirt but now I refuse to let it get to me. I know I’m as good as a boy and even better as a girl. Why are grace and beauty exclusively reserved for femininity? I’m a boy and I’m beautiful and I’m proud of it.

Suggested reading: Losing Hand To Electrocution Didn’t Stop Me From Pursuing Dreams: Paulami Patel