‘I’m the monk in heels’

Makeup artist, Buddhist monk and LGBTQ+ activist Kodo Nishimura is helping people embrace their true selves

Growing up in a 500-year-old Buddhist temple in Tokyo, with parents who were both monks, as an only child there was always an expectation I would train as one, too. People would ask, ‘Are you going to be a monk? Will you inherit the temple?’ and I hated how they had expectations about what I’d become in the future. Like most kids, all I wanted to do was play. Our house wasn’t huge, but it was a lot bigger than most family homes, so hide and seek was always a favourite! Play for me was also a chance to truly express myself and explore who I really was. I’d play with Little Mermaid dolls and Barbies. I loved changing their hairstyles and outfits. I’d dress up as my favourite Disney…

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Spirit & Destiny (Digital) - 1 Issue, June 2022

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