Stripping History: Vanessa Show

I’m taking time today to honor Trans Visibility Day and the end of Women’s History Month. This is from the amazing account on IG called @ficheraz

When talking about LGBTQI+ entertainers in Latin America, it is impossible not to mention Vanessa Show, a legendary character who paved the way for Argentinean trans women in mainstream media.

Vanessa was born and raised in a small town in northern Argentina, Santiago del Estero. Her father was an Egyptian immigrant who made millions in livestock, and staunch devotee of Islam.

The legendary showgirl spent her childhood surrounded by luxury, but she lacked love. Her parents had a turbulent relationship, violence and insults were a daily occurrence. Her father even beat her as well, which lead Vanessa to run away from home at the age of 13 and never returned.

Vanessa traveled all over the country and survived by doing adult jobs as a child. She arrived in Buenos Aires, the country's capital, when she was 15 years old, there she earned pennies washing dishes and peeling potatoes in different restaurants.

One day while walking down Calle Corrientes, the most important street in the city, she saw a poster of the legendary showgirl Juanita Marquez at the Maipo Theater entrance. That was the moment she knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life onstage.

She started her career working as a dancer prior her transition for some of the most important theaters of the country. Alongside showgirl icons such as Nélida Lobato and Nélida Roca, Vanessa discovered the glamour of the showgirl world, and just a year later she started working as a soloist; first in drag and later as a self-identified trans woman.

She worked with great success throughout South America, always including trans women in her shows. She was later discovered by an Italian rep who took her abroad. Vanessa arrived in Europe in the early 1970s. She first stayed in Rome and worked in different cabarets throughout Italy, before moving to Paris.

In France Vanessa joined the cast of the legendary cabarets Madame Arthur and The Carrusel, venues that have historically provided a platform for trans performers. Vanessa stayed in France for about two decades, and established herself as one of the great Parisian nightlife sensations.

Follow her @showvanesa!

Photo credits @fotoestudioluisita