If there is one thing that trans women’s communities know from personal experience, it is that a woman is not born, but made. As a respite from the daily struggles to embody femininity, the stage of a beauty pageant allows them to create, share, and showcase the woman of their dreams.

Between 2002 and 2004, I traveled to various beauty pageants on the trans and drag circuit in the Lima region. Thus, I photographed everything from local contests like Miss Señorita Cañete and Miss Señorita Barrios Altos to international competitions like Miss Gay (which was hosted by Peru in 2004), among others.

Former movie theaters, restaurants, or even lots that served as truck parking lots during the day were transformed at night into stages to shine in swimsuits and evening gowns. Applying makeup backstage, amid jokes and in dim light, they prepared for the runway to face the scrutiny of a jury seeking to affirm what they, without needing to win a crown, already know well: to be the woman they dream of being, and to remain so the next morning, far from the spotlight and the fleeting glamour of a gala night.