Introduction
No one understands the feeling of discomfort with your appearance than the LGBTQ community, especially transgender people and Drag Queens. But one of the important aspects of showing our true selves is in our smile.
Transitioning is expensive, and much of the cosmetic work shaping your face to exhibit desired facial features can be painful.
Creating a character to emulate on stage can be magical, but a bad smile can detract from the beauty of a gown or the hilarity of a comedy routine. Effectively ending a career in show business before it begins.
With our smile being an important part of how we present ourselves, how can transgender men, women, and drag queens benefit from Brighter Image Lab’s smile solution?
Transitioning to a New You
Transitioning can greatly improve the lives of many trans people, but the road to living as your most authentic self is expensive and painful.
Reshaping the face plays a large part in transitioning to help people who identify as transgender look like their gender identity. But how hard can the process really be?
The Basics of Gender Dysphoria Treatment
Most people aren’t aware that the recommended treatment for gender dysphoria is transition, either socially or physically. Much like gay men and lesbians, many transgender people are aware of their identities from a young age. [1]
Gender dysphoria can be displayed and diagnosed by a psychiatrist during early childhood. Most children with gender dysphoria grow out of it by the time they reach puberty. Research shows that individuals who continue to show signs of gender dysphoria during puberty will most likely experience it throughout adulthood. [1]
At puberty (12-14), and after extensive counseling and monitoring by mental health professionals, a child with gender dysphoria may begin puberty blockers. [1][4]
Under the continued watch of psychiatric and medical doctors, transgender patients may begin hormone therapy at the age of 16. Transitional surgeries do not begin until the age of 18. [4]
Transgender Facial Re-Shaping
After a transgender individual comes of age, they may opt for transitional surgeries. One of the larger aspects of these surgeries is the reshaping of the face to match a patient’s preferred gender identity.
This can include the following:
- Forehead Contouring, which reshapes the brow bone. ($25k)
- Eyelid Modification ($4k)
- Cheek Augmentation, as distribution of fat and bone is different between men and women. ($3.7k)
- Nose Reshaping or Rhinoplasty ($5.4k)
- Lip lifting and augmentation ($2.5-3.5k)
- Jaw Reduction or Filling ($2.5k)
- Chin Reduction or Reshaping ($2.5k)
- Tracheal Shaving ($3-5k)
total cost could run anywhere from $48.6k to over $51.6k
There are many complications to reshaping your face, and healing can take over a year before seeing the final results. Meaning you could be facing more expensive and time consuming procedures to get the face you want. [2][3]
The high cost, timeline, and pain can prevent people experiencing gender dysphoria from seeking transitional help.
But what if all it took was a new smile?
The Female Phenomenon
A Lesson in Herstory
Gender non-conformity has existed around the world for centuries, but the creation of drag and drag performances began in Washington D.C. [7]
William Dorsey Swann was originally born a slave, but noted as the first gay liberation activist on American soil. He proclaimed himself the first ‘Queen of Drag’ and organized the first drag balls in the 1880s and 1890s that were predominantly made up of other former slaves. [7]
Since then, Drag has evolved to create a political movement of self-expression and LGBTQ rights. But Drag Queens as we know them today were influenced by the New York Ball Scene.
Trailer for ‘Paris is Burning,’ a documentary on New York Ball Culture
Ball Culture was and continues to be influenced by predominantly Latin and African-American LGBTQ communities. It became a counterculture phenomenon that mixed fashion, performance, dancing, lip-synching, and modeling. [6]
Drag also has major influence in the larger world. Madonna’s ‘Vogue’ was inspired by a popular dance style called ‘Voguing’. Voguing was created in the LGBTQ community and emphasized fluid movement and facial framing, posing like the models in “Vogue,” magazine. [8]
One of the most notable Drag Queens in pop culture today is RuPaul Andre Charles, creator and host of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race,’ a reality show competition for Drag Queens that’s now branched into multiple countries like the UK, Thailand, and Australia.
All That Glitters is Not Gold
The pageantry in Drag performances is dazzling. The lights, makeup, and wigs create a character meant to entertain.
But making a career or hobby out of drag can be difficult. The cost of a put together character can get expensive. Judges and audiences are quick to comment on looks that aren’t polished.
And there’s no hiding flaws in the spotlight, and a broken smile could end a career on the stage.
Most Queens use pageant flippers to cover any insecurities, like discoloration, chipped or broken teeth. But many are bulky, and uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time.
So what is a queen supposed to do for an affordable smile solution?
Watch this real life beauty queen switch to Brighter Image Lab dental veneers!
The Smile Solution for All
Brighter Image Lab has created an alternative solution for all who struggle with their self-image. Our dental veneers were created to enhance your smile and cover broken, missing, and misaligned teeth.
Cosmetic surgery can be expensive, and with many in the LGBTQ community facing high rates of poverty (20-30%) getting a new smile used to be impossible to afford.
At Brighter Image Lab, you can get a new smile for under $1,000. With our new financing options, you can now break up your payments into easily manageable, weekly installments.
But we don’t just make dental veneers, we design you a new smile. Our Lab Direct process creates a custom fitting veneer, and our Smile Specialists hand polish and detail your order so it’s suited specifically for you.
Check out these before and after photos! Our Free Facial Analysis helps our Smile Specialists design your new smile to fit you!
We were able to change the shape of each person’s overall smile to better accentuate their natural features. We can feminize a smile by giving it a greater curve to match the angle of a feminine face, or flatten and broaden the dental veneer for a more masculine appearance.
You don’t even have to make a dentist appointment. You order online, take your impressions at home, mail them back and just relax! Once we receive your impressions, all you have to do is wait for it to be shipped to your front door.
When you’re ready to go out, just snap the veneers into place and your smile is camera ready. Our dental veneers can be comfortably worn in any setting, including on and off the stage.
You don’t need denture glue either! Dancing queens won’t have to worry about them falling out during a performance. So you can shake and shimmy until you drop!
If you’re a queen looking to polish your look, or transgender and wanting to avoid the pain and cost of cosmetic work, Brighter Image Lab could be right for you!
Don’t Be a Drag, Just Be a Queen
Transitioning can be painful, expensive, and time consuming. Creating your stage character without a gleaming smile can end your career before it starts. So why not try the Brighter Image Lab smile solution?
Our financing page allows you to break up your payments into weekly installments. All credit is accepted!
If this article didn’t convince you to try Brighter Image Lab, maybe the real client interviews and reviews on our video gallery can!
Warning: Conversion Therapy of any kind is NOT recommended as treatment for gender dysphoria according to guidelines from the American Psychological Association (APA). Conversion Therapy can be noted as any program that tries to change the gender identity or sexual orientation of an individual. Conversion Therapy is historically unsuccessful and often paired with mental and physical abuse that lead to greater mental health issues, including: Sexual Dysfunction, Anxiety, Depression, and Suicidal thoughts/actions.
Citations
1. Bonifacio, Joseph H, et al. “Management of Gender Dysphoria in Adolescents in Primary Care.” CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association Journal = Journal De L’Association Medicale Canadienne, Joule Inc., 21 Jan. 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6336471/.
2. Curtis Crane, MD, and MD Loren Schechter. “Facial Masculinization Surgery.” American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 2021, www.plasticsurgery.org/reconstructive-procedures/facial-masculinization-surgery.
3. “Facial Feminization Surgery.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 11 Sept. 2019, www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/facial-feminization-surgery/about/pac-20467962.
4. “Feminizing Hormone Therapy.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 18 Mar. 2021, www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/feminizing-hormone-therapy/about/pac-20385096.
5. “Gender Dysphoria: Diagnosis & Treatment: Boston Children’s Hospital.” Boston Childrens Hospital, 2021, www.childrenshospital.org/conditions-and-treatments/conditions/g/gender-dysphoria/diagnosis-and-treatment.
6. Hart, Benji, and Michael Roberson. “Why Voguing and the Ballroom Scene Matter Now More Than Ever.” Time, Time, 26 Feb. 2021, time.com/5941822/ballroom-voguing-queer-black-culture-renaissance/.
7. Joseph, Channing. “William Dorsey Swann – Oxford African American Studies Center.” African American National Biography, 2021, www.academia.edu/49043126/William_Dorsey_Swann_Oxford_African_American_Studies_Center.
8. Wolde-Michael, Tsione. “A Brief History of Voguing.” National Museum of African American History and Culture, 26 July 2019, nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/brief-history-voguing.
