THINKING of a good pair of OOTD or “outfit of the day” might be taxing, but it’s not a problem for the 21-year-old Deo Cabrera.

Cabrera is a BA Psychology student from De La Salle University – Manila who cut through fashion’s boundaries and overcame discrimination to express herself through her own style.

She now has more than 33,000 followers on TikTok for her routine fit check content.

Deo started creating content just this year, even though she started wearing a dress in 2021 for a concept shoot with her friends. Upon wearing the dress, Deo began feeling confident about how her look turned out.

“In my head, I thought, ‘omg sobrang ganda.’ So I decided to start doing fit check content on TikTok, then I started uploading constantly when school started because there were more opportunities to wear different clothes,” she told republicasia.

‘Men’s clothes are boring’

In 2022, Deo shifted entirely to wearing feminine clothes. 

According to her, “men’s clothes are boring” since most guys wear shirts, shorts, and pants with only a basic design element. That’s why she decided to shift to wearing women’s clothing.

Since women’s clothing came in a wide variety of styles, from dresses to skirts to blouses, plus a wide array of shoes and accessories, Deo thought of playing with these to heat up men’s fashion with her kind of twists.

Given the heat in our country, wearing a skirt or a dress seems more practical than wearing pants or shorts. Lastly, I feel more comfortable wearing women’s clothing because it lets me express who I am,”

Deo Cabrera

According to Deo, she doesn’t feel comfortable “being perceived as a ‘man,’ which is why she contrasts her masculine features with what she is wearing.

Acceptance

Following her transition from wearing masculine clothes to feminine ones, Deo received various comments. Many were encouraging words from her friends and family, which for her, is a “lucky” support system because not all members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) community receive the same amount of respect and acceptance.

I’m very lucky to have a supportive family to the point na pinapahiram nila ako ng clothes and give me tips on what to wear,”

Deo Cabrera

She likewise noted that she is also lucky that her school is supportive of her fashion style, adding that the LaSallian community was not bothered by her decision to express herself through feminine clothing.

The public ire

She also understands that not everyone is happy with her expressing her real identity. She said she also received a lot of criticism from the public, especially on the streets and in public transportation.

Whenever I’m commuting or walking down the street I would get occasional disapproving stares. Sometimes, people would say slurs such as ‘ay barbie sabi ko na,’ and some would laugh at me,”

Deo Cabrera

The art of ‘dedma’

But Deo often ignores hate comments about her fashion, whether from the public or on social media. In her mind, it may just endanger her if she strikes back at the people making fun of her in public spaces and online.

Queer rights and safety

Aside from her stylish outfits, she said she hopes that through her efforts, people would also get to practice their rights and feel safe as queers and members of civil society. She also called for a progressive Philippines where queer people can feel safe and accepted regardless of the space they visit.

She also shared her view that the “coming out” phase is truly uncalled for and that no one is obliged to explain their identity and the way they express themselves to the world, especially if they are not harming other people.

Wear what you want to wear. Clothes are genderless. Let women be masculine; let boys be feminine. At the end of the day, a man in a dress or a girl in a suit does not negatively impact anyone; let people wear whatever they want to wear,”

Deo Cabrera