My Face for the World to See
Encyclopedia
Warhol superstar
Warhol superstars were a clique of New York City personalities promoted by Andy Warhol during the 1960s and early 1970s. These personalities appeared in Warhol's artworks and accompanied him in his social life...
Candy Darling
Candy Darling
Candy Darling was an American actress, best known as a Warhol Superstar. A male-to-female transsexual, she starred in Andy Warhol's films Flesh and Women in Revolt , and was a muse of the protopunk band The Velvet Underground.-Early life:Candy Darling was born James Lawrence Slattery in Forest...
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The book is made up of several edited diary entries written at different times and in different journals throughout Darling's short life. It ranges from entries from Darling's childhood as a young boy, "James Slattery" in Massapequa Park, Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, to later entries towards the end of her life. The book also includes various letters and unprofessional sketches drawn by Darling, who was known to be interested in drawing from childhood. Most pages reflect Darling's desire for appreciation, love, respect, and her longing to belong. Also, the book's pages tell of her dreams, ambitions and wishes; including super-stardom, to be a complete woman, and to marry.
Darling's diary entries also reveal her confusion about her sexuality and gender identity (as she was a pre-operative transsexual). Her loneliness, desperation, and ultimate frustration at society's refusal to accept her and its rejection of who she truly was are described as well. This is evident in that Candy Darling even went so far as to state that she may actually be mistaken about her female gender identity only in an attempt to banish her loneliness and receive the acceptance and love she craved. She was well aware that her situation rendered it impossible for her to find a normal partner who would love her as a woman. Darling's life is summarised in a short poem at the end of the book titled "Stardusk".
This memoir documents the fact that Darling was a talent who could not be fully appreciated by the culture of the day. Although many transgendered individuals have achieved some success today, American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer and actor RuPaul
RuPaul
RuPaul Andre Charles , best known as simply RuPaul, is an American actor, drag queen, model, author, and singer-songwriter, who first became widely known in the 1990s when he appeared in a wide variety of television programs, films, and musical albums. Previously, he was a fixture on the Atlanta...
, Israeli Pop star Dana International
Dana International
Sharon Cohen , professionally known as Dana International is an Israeli pop singer of Yemenite Jewish ancestry. She has released eight albums and three additional compilation albums, positioning herself as one of Israel's most successful musical acts ever...
and South Korean pop singer Harisu, there is as yet no major transsexual or transgendered star in the film industry.