One lady who's been a big hit with me is Thailand's Parinya Charoenphol, who's often called Nong Toom - The Beautiful Boxer. Nong was introduced to Muay Thai, or Thai Kickboxing, when she was a young boy. It helped her to look after her family financially as life in Thailand is very harsh for those without money. A natural talent flaired and despite the fact she claims to not have enjoyed fighting, she went on to earn fame and eventually enough money for surgery in the tough, man's world of the boxing ring.
A shot from the movie Beautiful Boxer showing Nong Toom when she was still a young frightened transvestite
Nong Toom's story was touchingly captured in the 2005 movie Beautiful Boxer (click here for a full review of the film Beautiful Boxer). Nong is still a young woman and some time after I wrote about her film I was contacted by her partner in a new venture, Stehpen Khan, with whom she was teaching Muay Thai to orphans in Bangkok as a way building them up emotionally. Martial arts are a great way of improving confidence and self esteem.
Another woman I like a lot, probably because she's also very soulful and heartfelt is Dido. Since escaping Eminem's car boot, Dido's rise to fame has brought us a wealth of beautiful music that often runs a gentle, warm hand over uncomfortable or touchy subjects.
Another woman with a certain inner strength - Dido
I was really happy when I found out that Dido had a new album out and even happier when I found out that one of the videos was featuring a day in the life of Nong Toom!
Safe Trip Home - Dido's new album - has a wonderful website featuring specially commissioned short movies around the world. Bangkok is a destination any world traveller should see once, especially if you are transexual or a lover of us ladies. The Bangkok film is called "Black Eyelashes" and features Dido's track "It Comes and It Goes" in the background. Here's the video:
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