Today we’d like to introduce you to Rajee Narinesingh.
Rajee Narinesingh began her entertainment career in the 1980s as a featured dancer on the show, “Dance Party USA” (later renamed Dancin’ on Air), where she danced alongside Kelly Ripa. Rajee was already pursuing theater and health sciences at the performing arts high school, Franklin Learning Center, where she later graduated from. Rajee took a break from entertainment after finishing high school, taking a job at a jewelry store and going to Philadelphia Community College for business.
After graduating, Narinesingh moved to Florida, where she worked several different customer service jobs while concurrently pursuing an entertainment career, this time working as a model, film actress, singer-songwriter and author. In 1997 after filming a role in the lost film, “South Beach High,” Rajee released her first commercial R&B single, “Stumble,” through Warlock Records. The single, while motivational, didn’t make much of an impact, but did manage to rotate on Florida radio stations for twelve weeks. Two years later, Narinesingh released her first book, “Windows to My Soul,” a book of poetry. Having identified as an androgynous gay male since the early 1990s, Rajee learned by the late 1990s that she was transgender, beginning her medical and social transition. Hormones only altered her body slightly, so looking for a more drastic change, she sought out doctor, O’Neal Ron “Duchess” Morris, to alter her face and body with medical-grade silicone. Unbeknownst to Narinesingh, what Duchess was using was a concoction of tire sealant, mineral oil, and super glue.
Within eight months, Rajee’s face and body reacted horribly to the chemicals, leaving her disfigured for almost ten years. Thanks to the charity of Dr. John J. Martin Jr., Rajee was able to lift the chemicals to the highest level of skin in her face through years of laser and ultrasound treatments paired with steroid injections. This allowed Botched television surgeons Dr. Dubrow and Dr. Nassif, to do a facelift procedure to remove the industrial-grade silicone from Rajee’s face. She still, however, has the illegal silicone in her: breasts, hips, and buttocks. Currently, thanks to getting help for her face, Rajee is continuing her acting career, landing roles in numerous South Florida films and web series. She is also working as an activist for the LGBT community, a title she’s held for over twenty years. In addition to “Windows to My Soul,” Rajee has authored an autobiography, “Beyond Face Value: A Journey to True Beauty,” where she delves deeper into her: childhood, young adult years, bouts with illegal silicone, and her rise to international recognition.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Rajee has faced discrimination from a young age. She can remember instances as young as four years old being called slurs such as “sissy” and “faggot” by neighborhood children. An effeminate male, Rajee, was pulled off of a subway bus at the age of eighteen by a group of boys in Philadelphia, who beat her simply for “looking feminine.” Aside from verbal and physical abuse, Narinesingh has also faced workplace discrimination for being transgender. In 2006 she had to go to the local news in South Florida to get her then employer to give her bathroom rights after female co-workers complained that Rajee was using the women’s restroom. Prior to being given rights to use the women’s restroom, Narinesingh (who worked rotating shifts at a call center) had to use a gender-neutral bathroom across from her department (which was the size of a football field) often getting docked for being late back to her department. The gender-neutral restroom was located in the Human Resources office (which closed in the evenings), so Rajee would either have to go hungry or hold her bodily fluids until getting off of work to avoid retaliation from her bosses.
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Rajee is most known for the negative reaction in her face from illegal silicone going viral worldwide; which led to numerous talk and reality show appearances, most notably “Botched” on the E network, in which she appeared four times; receiving help for her facial disfiguration on the third and fourth episodes of her time on the series. Narinesingh is regarded as a knowledgeable and well-versed LGBT activist in South Florida, serving on numerous boards for LGBT organizations, including FLUX, Trans Art, and the Yes Institute, to name a few.
She also uses her platform to hold public speaking and hosting events to raise awareness for various LGBT causes. Recently Narinesingh has gotten back into acting after a nine-year hiatus. She starred in the all-transgender short film, “Bella Maddo” in 2010 alongside Jazz Jennings, Isis King, and future “Pose” and “American Horror Story” actress, Angelica Ross. In recent years Rajee has acted in the films “Prophecy,” “Sylvia,” and the upcoming web series, “Seconds in a Heartbeat,” in which she appears in one episode. She has also authored four books, with her most popular being her autobiography, “Beyond Face Value: A Journey to True Beauty.”
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Doctors: John J. Martin Jr, Terry Dubrow, Paul Nassif, and the Botched crew and staff of affiliated plastic surgery offices. Rajee’s therapists and her supporters from all over the world.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/rajee_botchedtv
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Artist/RAJEE-Narinesingh-716680208427901/
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/RAJEEACTRESS
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