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Emira D’Spain is no stranger to firsts. She was the first Black transgender VS angel, and in her first-ever reality TV appearance on Bravo’s Next Gen NYC, D’Spain is the network’s first full-time trans cast member. Being the first can come with a lot of pressure, but for D’Spain, it’s all in a day’s work.
A model and influencer, D’Spain is just living her life, and if making history is part of that, so be it. Between iconic get ready with me videos, red carpet appearances, and teaching us all how to be an it-girl, D’Spain is creating her dream life. Simply by being exactly who she wants to be, D’Spain says she’s opening doors for others in her community.
When Teen Vogue met D’Spain at BravoCon in Las Vegas, she twirled into the press room after a morning of glam and fan interactions. D’Spain calls her fans c*nty Barbies, and they were out in full force at the event. But if the weekend was tiring for D’Spain, we couldn’t tell. She was all smiles and excitement as she chatted about filming season two of the show, cast diversity, and trans representation.
Emira D’Spain: This is my first Bravocon ever. I’m nervous, but it was really fun. Like, today was a lot of press and fan interaction stuff. It's crazy seeing the fan stuff come into real life because I'm so used to being an influencer and my audience online. I love my c*nty Barbies. I'll see them when I run into them on the street, sure. But then, here, everyone's all together and then they're [fans of] the show. It's overwhelming, but it's also fun. I welcome it with open arms.
ED: It didn't even really feel like we were creating a show. Now [filming season two], it feels more real because back then, it was just our group of friends. It just felt like we were just living and then there were cameras. Brooks [Marks], Ava [Dash], Charlie [Zakkour] and I have known each probably the longest, then we just kind of all branched out from there. It's fun.
ED: It's exciting. I think it's really important, and I applaud Bravo for allowing me to open that door for future cast members on other shows. I do feel like it sometimes creates a little bit of pressure on myself to make sure that I'm representing my community in the best way. But at the same time, I think the LGBTQ community in general is very welcoming. So if you make mistakes or f*ck up, they're always going to ride for me. They're always going to have my back and I feel like that's the best part about all of this.
ED: I think it's representative of young people, and I think it's also representative of young New York specifically. Going to college in a city like New York and creating all these friendships that are so diverse from [different] socio-economic backgrounds, ethnic backgrounds, sexuality backgrounds — there's so many things. It shapes the way that you view the world and you view your friendships.
ED: You know, it's difficult. But I think the way that I balance it is, I just exist. I'm living this dream life that I've created. I'm very fortunate. I'm very grateful. I think just existing in these spaces as myself and as the person who I was meant to be, does more than me, like, advocating for my community, you know? Being in these rooms opens the door for more people.
ED: I'm honestly loving that full glam is back. I think everyone wants 2016 glam to be back, and I'm so here for it. I love a full beat. Something that I'm not loving? I don't know, beauty is so subjective. Everyone has their own take on it, [so] even when I see something that I'm like, “That's not my vibe,” but it looks good on the person, I'm like, “D*mn, that actually does look really good.”
ED: Oh, God. It was in a Getty image. It was my first Getty image ever and I did not properly blend my under eye setting powder. I was 19 and my friend invited me to this red carpet to be a plus one for this charity event. It was so bad.
ED: It's been really good. I feel like it's been a lot different than season one in a really good way. I feel like everyone has gotten a lot closer just in general and I think it makes the relationships a lot more entertaining for the audience to watch.
ED: Yeah, Ariana [Biermann] and Gia [Giudice], they were the two people that I didn't know at all [before filming]. I knew nothing about them aside from their families [who had been on reality TV]. Going into this, I was a little apprehensive about, you know, what are they going to be like? But they were both so cool and we've gotten so close. I would consider the two of them some of my closest friends now. Even outside of this [reality TV] world, they're just such great people. Finding female friendships in your 20s is what life's about.
