The Tejano Princess

Young, gorgeous, and vivacious.

It was rare to see Selena Quintanilla-Perez without a glowing smile. Her laughter was contagious. Her music was heartbreakingly magical.

At 23, the Texas beauty was murdered by the president of her own fan club.

The last word she heard before she collapsed to her death was "bitch."

Nothing is fair.

I had a very boring childhood because I never had the opportunity to associate with anybody my own age due to my career.

Although my Spanish is a little weak I feel that I am Mexican. I'm very proud of my roots and ever since I was little we played English music and country music aside from Tejano. It was something very natural for us.

I only dance with people I know. I don't dance with strangers unless they ask my dad for permission. I also enjoy seeing other people dance. Then I go backstage and practice the steps I saw.

The life of an artist isn't all glamorous. It's a lot of work. A lot of people think it's very easy. They think you always stay in good hotels, you buy good things, but it's not like that. You have to work hard like everybody else.

Really and truly, I can't imagine myself having an everyday job and going into an office. I love business. I have my own business aside from singing, but I can't picture myself going to the same place everyday. I don't know, it would be kind of a drag to me, I guess. I have gotten so used to traveling now.

I think I'm very a kindhearted person. I don't like to hurt people's feelings. If I do, it's not intentionally. I'm sincere and very honest. And I feel that nowadays a lot of people have lost that, but I think that starts in the home. My parents have taught me that. Being fair with people.

The reason I'm so appreciative of everything that's going on around me is cause I never expected it. Never dreamed...never in my wildest dreams thought I would come this far and I plan to keep that attitude.

What I do on stage, you won't catch me doing off stage. I mean, I think deep down I'm still kind of, like, timid and modest about a lot of things. But on stage, I release all that; I let it go.

So you can imagine how I felt when they called out my name. I cried in the back. It was just a great feeling.

If you have a dream, don't let anyone take it away.

The Other Side of April

When April Ashley was 25, she was on top of the world.

The jaw-dropping beauty was a top London fashion model, with an editorial in Vogue. She had just filmed her first role in a major film. She had a string of enviable affairs with handsome movie stars like Omar Sharif and Peter O'Toole. Her captivated admirers included Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso.

But in 1961, her world came crashing down.

A story, told by a former friend, revealed that April had been born a boy. She had received a sex change operation in Casablanca when she was 24.

The scandal shocked the entire world. Sex change operations were practically unheard of at the time. April had been the first British person to get one.

The backlash towards the promising young model was severe. Bookings were cancelled overnight. Her film credit was taken away. She received threatening phone calls. She was told her career was over, before it had even taken off.

April was heartbroken. After getting her sex change operation in 1960, she thought she had been set free.

But her struggles were only just beginning.

Born as George Jamieson in Liverpool to a working class family, April had always known she was different. She had under-developed genitalia. She was not growing normal, sexually. She looked and felt feminine. But it didnt' make any difference. She was born technically male. And if you were born male in the 1930s, you were male in the eyes of society.

At 14, she joined the Navy to grasp at some masculinity, but she encountered merciless bullying and was so unhappy with her identity crisis, she attempted suicide. She was put in a mental institution and given electro-shock therapy. After being released, she tried to lead a normal life as a man, but found it difficult. She was even raped by her roommate, which left her severely injured.

She eventually moved to Paris under a new name and became a drag queen at a prominent hot spot frequented by Ernest Hemingway and Bob Hope.

In 1960, she was introduced to a Moroccan surgeon who had successfully performed eight sex change operations. After becoming his ninth, she moved to London where her undeniable beauty immediately earned her a modeling contract.

When the scandal broke out, April didn't allow it to ruin her life. She kept her head held high.

In 1963, she fell in love with Arthur Corbett, a wealthy aristocratic married father of four who had a secret obsession with cross-dressing. He left his wife for April and they became the toast of high society.

But the marriage dissolved quickly and Arthur annulled the marriage on the grounds that it had never been legal to begin with, since April had been born male. The identity crisis came crashing down on April yet again.

In the next few decades, April put aside her unhappiness and embraced her difference. She wrote a heartfelt autobiography. She met the love of her life. She gave talks educating the masses on transsexualism. She advocated heavily for others like her.

Due to her hard work, she was recently awarded the MBE in the Queen's birthday honors for services to transgender equality.

Not bad for a girl who thought her life was over, right?

An Ode to Outfit Posts

I'm sorry I have been MIA for the past several days.

Not only have I been swamped with work, but I need to take a short break from the researched posts I've been doing lately. It seems every time I get a free minute to blog, I stare at my list of blogspiration and ideas I've jotted down in my journal, and quite frankly, I'm too exhausted to work on any of them. That shit takes time!

I even thought of conjuring up a quick outfit post for you guys, but I'm currently wearing pink sweatpants and a powder blue Portland souvenir t-shirt. Somehow I don't think that outfit would stack up against the jaw-dropping fierceness of Da Paura, the colorful, playful style of Amber's Mouthwash, or the effortless bohemian chic of Vintage Vixen.

(Amber's Mouthwash)

(And don't even get me started on the uncontrollable swag of Glam Kitten's Litterbox, the Indian glamour of Leia's Delights, the cheerful fabulousness of Oh to be a Muse, the affordable fashion at Dina's Days, and the enviable ensembles at Tanvii.)

(Tanvii.com)

Speaking of fashion blogs and outfit posts, am I the only girl here who could care less about the glossy, high-fashion, over-rated ad rags that are bragged about in all the magazines? I think you know which blogs I'm talking about.

I don't find inspiration from rich model wanna-be's who have 500 pairs of Prada pumps and a closet filled with couture. That's boring. If I wanted to see the latest designer dress, I'd just skim through the pages of Elle to see a real model wearing it better.

When I go to fashion blogs, I'd rather see this:

(Oh to Be a Muse)

My inspiration comes from the girls who boast unique style, which embodies their personality and lifestyle.

I have found myself becoming a more critical thrift store junkie by keeping up with Ashley at Milk Teeths. I have literally scoured Forever 21 for similar modern-Audrey inspired dresses I've seen on Imogen over at Tia Cherie. My Converse sneakers have seen the light of day again thanks to Sherin at Hi Fashion.

(Milk Teeths)

These are all just a handful of the girls who inspire me. These are the fashion bloggers who make me excited to get dolled up for a girls night out or a romantic date with my man.

They are also my friends.

Which fashion bloggers inspire you?

The Dancing Queen

Her voice revealed a broken heart behind a cheerful tune. Glittered disco balls danced on her flawless ebony skin. She was at the right place, at the right time. She craved fame and it ate her whole. How do you escape from a reflection of yourself, frozen in time?

She didn't.

God had to create disco music so I could be born and be successful.

 I am sensual and very physical. I'm very erotic. But my sexuality exists on a sort of a fantasy level.

I don't care if I'm beautiful; I don't care what I am on the outside. It isn't about the outside.

I don't really try to predict what can and will happen with things. Sometimes you think something's gonna be a huge success, and it isn't. And sometimes you pay no attention to something whatsoever, and God just makes it into everything.

I like to know that someone is stronger than I am. I want to be able to know that if I get tired, somebody is there to hold up the fort. I like knowing that I can't pick a refrigerator alone. God did not make me strong enough to do that.

I'm just an ordinary person that did some extraordinary things.

I want a private life, I truly do. I'm not just pretending to want one like lots of celebrities.

Nobody wants you to stop, obviously because you're a moneymaking machine. But you have to make the decision and you have to move forward. So I took time off to have babies and do all that.

Most people don't get called a queen. I appreciate the reference and that I've gotten to be part of people's lives. But now I have to make a new title for myself. That diva thing is getting a little used.

My life was changed in one breath from God.

Baby Girl

In a perfect world, she would have lived.

She would have been one of the most famous movie stars of our generation. She would have won an Oscar. She would have been the hottest pop star on the music charts. She would have married. She would have had adorable little celebrity babies.

Would have.

I'm the interpreter. I'm the one who takes your words and brings them to life. I was trained to sing and dance and laugh, and that's what I want to do.

Being female, you're raised to be a good, sweet girl and not flip out. So, I had to give myself permission to be mean and evil. It's tough. But I've always been drawn to the darker side of things.

All I can do is leave it in God's hands and hope that my fans feel where I'm coming from.

Keep working hard and you can get anything that you want. If God gave you the talent, you should go for it. But don't think it's going to be easy. It's hard!

I don't want to abandon one work for the other, and I don't think I need to sacrifice anything to put my all into either one of them.

I know that people think I'm sexy and I am looked at as that. It is cool with me. It's wonderful to have sexy appeal. If you embrace it, it can be a very beautiful thing.

You have to love what you do to want to do it everyday.

I stay true to myself and my style, and I am always pushing myself to be aware of that and be original. There are times I can't even figure myself out.

I think it's important to take a break, you know, from the public eye for a while, and give people a chance to miss you. I want longevity. I don't want to get out there and run myself ragged and spread myself thin.

I want people to remember me as a full on entertainer and a good person.

Civil War Style Icons: The Freedom Fighter

This is the last of my three-part civil war style icon series.

I hope you've enjoyed this little journey into history.

You can see part one here and part two here.

For now, let me introduce you to our third heroine, Cathay Williams, who was a slave on a wealthy plantation in Independence, Missouri.

When the Civil War broke out, her master died and Union soldiers descended upon the plantation and liberated Cathay. She became a paid cook for the army, traveling to various destinations.

Although she was free, Cathay didn't like being a cook. But her only other option was to either remain in her current position, or be completely unemployed and stranded in the midwest. After all, as a female ex-slave, her prospects for finding another job in 1866 were slim.

The 22-year-old decided she wanted to make her own money, and not be a burden to friends or family, so she cut her hair, bound her breasts, and enlisted in the U.S. Army as a man. With her staggering height and plain face, Cathay slipped under the radar. She was immediately given clearance without even a physical exam.

Using the name, William Cathay, she fought in the war for two years. Only a close friend and a cousin, who served in her regiment, knew the truth.

In 1868, Cathay grew ill. When the doctor examined her body, he discovered the shocking truth. Cathay was immediately discharged.

Afterwards, she moved to Colorado and became a laundress. She got married to a lowlife who stole her jewelry and her savings ($100, huge sum for that time period), and her team of horses and wagons. He was later arrested.

The rest of her life remains murky, as there was no proper documentation. Historians do know that some time in the 1890s, Cathay filed a disability claim, but was denied for unknown reasons. Medical records state that she suffered from diabetes, and had most of her toes amputated as a result.

She died of the condition around 1900.

Cathay was not the only woman to secretly serve in the Civil War. There are more than 400 cases where white women followed their husbands, fiances, and brothers into battle, disguised as men. But, Cathay is the only documented African American woman to have done so.

Without trying, Cathay became a legend, a symbol, of American history. Even though she may not have felt it, she was brave. Even though she may not have cared, she was a pioneer.

Her story is one of millions which have made the United States what it is today.

Here is an outfit inspired by the true Civil War hero:

What do you think of Cathay?