{"id":2255,"date":"2014-12-04T06:00:35","date_gmt":"2014-12-03T23:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pharecircus.org\/?p=2255"},"modified":"2019-01-29T18:31:31","modified_gmt":"2019-01-29T11:31:31","slug":"meet-crew-monny-make-artist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pharecircus.org\/meet-crew-monny-make-artist\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the Crew \u2013 Monny the Make-up Artist"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Emily Martin<\/em><\/p>\n

Meet the Crew \u2013 Monny the Make-up Artist<\/h2>\n

Every night before Phare show the artists are here early to rehearse and then get themselves ready for the performance. 30-year-old Monny is the talented make-up artist behind the bold faces you see on the stage.<\/p>\n

I sat down with him as he went about his work, braiding a performer\u2019s hair before the show.<\/p>\n

\n

How did you start at Phare?<\/strong>
\nDara Hout, the CEO of Phare, said he needed someone to do the artists make up for these night performances and private events at the hotels.<\/p>\n

I enjoy working with Phare and all the artists. I want to share my knowledge on how they can do the make up by themselves. I think it\u2019s important to do that so that if they are going somewhere like overseas or a private event somewhere without me then they can do it by themselves.<\/p>\n

What do you think of Phare?<\/strong>
\nI enjoy watching the show and the artists. When I was younger I use to go to Phare in Battambang and I wanted to perform like the circus students \u2026 I went to Phare and studied fine arts but I only stayed for 5 months because our house was far from the school and it was difficult for me to get to. Sometimes if I really, really wanted to go to school I would work from my home to the school \u2013 about 1 hour.<\/p>\n

Tell me about your family\u2026<\/strong>
\nMy parents are farmers. They plant the flowers and grow them. After, they cut the flowers to sell at the markets.<\/p>\n

When I was young my family was very poor and even though the school I went to was close to my house I didn\u2019t often go. The morning classes I could go to because they didn’t cost that much \u2013 but you had to pay more for anything more and because I had no money I couldn’t.<\/p>\n

Sometimes I had to work after school. But often I didn\u2019t even go to school because I was so busy helping my family. I had to work, and cook and clean, and take the food to the fields for my parents.<\/p>\n

One more problem is if there are celebrations in town we had to sell our flowers. So we had to take and prepare the flowers the day before. I had to prepare them till late at night, till maybe 1 or 2am and then I had to get up in the early morning, sometimes at 4am or similar – so I couldn\u2019t go to school.<\/p>\n

How did you fund going to the make-up school?<\/strong>
\nIt was only 3 months of study so it didn’t cost as much. My family supported me for the money to pay for the school and after I finished the school I got a job so I was earning my own money.<\/p>\n

How long have you been doing hair and make-up?<\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s almost ten years now. I started working for another person in 2004 but I started my own business in 2006. I learnt how to do the make-up at a school in Phnom Penh. I just love make up, putting on make-up, I like to look beautiful.<\/p>\n

I do hair and make-up full time. I have my own shop during the day and then I work at the circus at night time. Every night after the circus I help with small shows in old market for the lady-boys like me.<\/p>\n

What are the lady-boy shows?<\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s a show of dancing, singing and role playing and all the performers are lady-boys. So men that dress as women who enjoy dancing and singing.<\/p>\n

Are there many challenges or discrimination being a lady-boy in Cambodia?<\/strong>
\nBefore, since around 2000, there were many people who didn’t like gays; the lady-boys \u2013 they used to grab them, physically abuse them but now it\u2019s more open.<\/p>\n

Because there are many more lady-boys now, the people, they can open their minds, their eyes and accept us more.<\/p>\n

I used to meet people who would be horrible to me. In my family they always encouraged me, never said anything bad to me. I don\u2019t care about the other people outside anymore though \u2013 this is me.<\/p>\n

When did you become a part of the community?<\/strong>
\nI was about 20 I started to dress as a woman. I could not study anymore because my family was poor and so when I stopped studying I decided to have long hair.<\/p>\n\n\t\t