Sioejeng Tsao
Pirate: Cheng I Sao
Embodied by: Sioejeng Tsao (visual artist & activist)
There was one moment during my transformation into Cheng I Sao that I looked in the mirror and saw my ancestors. It was so intense! Like an out-of-body experience, except I was still very much there. Because I was carried by the love and fighting spirit of all the strong women that came before me.
Growing up without strong cultural role models, I often felt ashamed of my Chinese identity. Why wasn’t I white and tall, with blond hair and blue eyes? Life would be so much better! About 4 years ago, everything changed. I became involved with a community of social activists and started to speak out against racism. In that process, I started to embrace my Chinese ‘otherness’. For example, I stopped apologizing for my ‘difficult’ name. It really isn’t that hard to pronounce, people! Just be open to try.
Posing on the beach, I thought I was being fierce enough, but it wasn’t enough for Marlies. Apparently, it’s quite hard to get rid of the female societal conditioning to always be ‘pretty’. “Access your raw, inner power by screaming!”, Marlies told me. All of a sudden, I remembered the martial arts classes of my childhood. I let out this bloodcurdling roar which immediately kickstarted my ‘pirate’ spirit. It was amazing! At one point, Marlies even had to tell me to tone it down a bit, much to both our amusement. Definitely something I’m taking with me from the shoot.
Believe me, becoming a lingerie model wasn’t exactly my life-long ambition. But reading about Cheng I Sao – who happens to come from the same region as my mother! – I felt honored to play a part in telling her amazing story. It’s about time that women, and especially women from marginalized cultures, get their rightful place in history.
Follow Sioejeng on Instagram.
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Maison Marlies blog
The marlies|dekkers brand offers a wide variety of lingerie that can be worn by anyone and caters to every woman’s individual needs. Within our Maison Marlies blog you can read all about the life behind and surrounding the company. Whether you are eager to know where Marlies gets her inspiration for designing new lingerie collections, her lifestyle, healthy cooking ideas, or simply to share her taste in amazing art - you will find it in the blog. Our fearless creative director manages to find time to write about her business trips and even her shopping sprees and vacations for the times she can let her hair down for a while. And even while she is on holiday she will not leave you hanging.
Giving style advice
When you are feeling lost in finding the right fit or determine your bra size, Maison Marlies offers a set of guidelines so that you can continue shaking your bon bons without them falling out. You'll get style tips on how to wear and style your bras, and bikinis. You would not want a wardrobe malfunction which can actually be prevented when you are wearing high quality luxury lingerie. And when your breasts are kept in place in marlies|dekkers bras or bikinis, you can fully celebrate your femininity in all its glory and full potential. The blog offers advise on how to mix and match womens lingerie to boost, inspire your own fashion sense and keeps you updated on the latest fashion trends.
Marlies and friends
Her celebrity friends are also very pleased with that perfect fit a marlies|dekkers bra can offer you. These women proudly show off their marlies|dekkers lingerie sets in photoshoots for magazines, on stage when they're performing, during a cameo on tv or on the big screen in movies. Maison Marlies dedicates a special section of the blog to all gender equality related news so you are always updated about the latest developments around this special mission that embodies Marlies’ vision for the future.
