The Vedette | Vanessa Show: Not Just Cistory

It’s become a tradition of mine over the past few years to paint portraits of transgender women from throughout history for Women’s History Month, which has evolved into my Not just Cistory series, where I share my paintings and do more research into the lives of my subjects, and then write it all up to share with all of you here. This entry is about a 20th century star whose career spanned the stage, the screen, and the world; Vanessa Show.

Early Life and Adolescence

Vanessa Show was born in La Banda, Santiago del Estero, on September 27, 1950 (2023, Montagna) to an Arabic family of ranchers and butchers. In an interview with Pagina 12’s Juan Tauil, Show explained that her grandfather was from Alexandria and her grandmother was Moroccan (2009).

Her parents separated when she was a teen, she was disinherited, and she moved to Buenos Aires (Tauil, 2009). She did not have a good relationship with her parents, particularly her father, and was not sad to leave them behind (infobae, 2017).

Show was always open about her sexuality, even as a child, effecting a sort of ‘deal with it’ attitude describing it in the Pagina 12 interview in this way, and also emphasizing that she demanded respect from her family, regardless of their opinions (Tauil, 2009).

A Career in the Spotlight

She started working at age fifteen as a dishwasher and a cook, before finally appearing onstage as a dancer at age seventeen, at the Teatro Maipo (Tauil, 2009).

She was given the name ‘Vanessa’ by Eber Lobato, and the last name ‘Show’ by a journalist who commented on her giving quite a show during her performance. She continued working for Lobato for a number of years (Tauil, 2009).

Vanessa Show was a vedette; similar to a burlesque dancer. She performed with many other dancers and performers who were very well-known at the time, and she became famous in her own right (Montagna, 2023). Before donning the name ‘Vanessa Show’ she was called ‘Señor Vedette’ by the press (Torchia, 2018).

Show was also a part of ‘La Revista del tercer sexo’ the first company made up entirely of transvestites (Tauil, 2009). (A note: translation here is imperfect (at least, more than usual) as the Spanish word ‘travestis’ can mean both ‘transvestites’ (an outdated term on its own), or drag queens, so I am unclear as to which is meant here, but I don’t think the lack specificity is necessarily a bad thing.)

Her life in Europe

Show spent a lot of time in Europe; both for her successful international tour, performing in France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, and, later, as an exile from Argentina (Montagna, 2023). While in Europe she was confronted with the hierarchy and competition of the European drag community and decided that she was going to stand up for herself as an artist and as a person (Torchia, 2018).

After her European tour, she came home to Argentina and resumed work at the club Hidrogen, experienced run-ins with the police, and received continual harassment from the government, she was even called a ‘sexual terrorist’ (Tauil, 2009).

She decided to return to Europe due to the militaristic governments that were in power in Argentina, and the growing threats she received, choosing to travel and work abroad (infobae, 2017).

She returned to Argentina in the 1990s and performed in films and was featured on television (Montanga, 2023). She also wrote her autobiography, titled ‘es Verdad’, or ‘The Truth’ in 2012 (Torchia, 2018).

Life as an Icon

In recent years Show had become a sort of beloved mother figure for the drag and trans communities of Argentina, discussing her role in/relationship with the queer community in a 2018 Pagina 12 interview with Franco Torchia.

She said that young drag queens and trans individuals would flock to her and that she was thrilled with the burgeoning community of drag queens, and the sense of comradery that was not present in the communities she was a part of in her youth (Torchia, 2018).

Show passed away in September of 2023 at the Providencia Sanatorium in Buenos Aires at the age of 72 (Montagna).

Conclusion

Vanessa Show was a confident woman who was determined to chase her dream and be successful in the way that she deemed correct for her own life. Being transgender often comes with a set of challenges that can seem insurmountable. It is refreshing and heartening to learn about the story of a trans woman who was able to make her own way.

Granted, everyone has their own experiences and challenges that are unique to them, she admits in the Pagina 12 article with Jaun Tauil that both her lighter skin tone and beauty allowed her to travel more freely through Europe and around the world than she might have been otherwise (2009).

Privileges and challenges considered (but not set aside), Show is an example of a woman who took no shit and expected the world to respect her for who she was. She was a trailblazer and is a reason why the drag community in Argentina is the way it is. She created an example of how a trans woman could live as herself and create space for that life, as well as the lives of others.

Bibliography

Note: All sources are in Spanish and have been translated to English for this blog post by me.

Infobae. (2017, November 13). Vannesa show: “Un día quise matar a mi padre.” infobae. https://www.infobae.com/2012/04/29/644878-vannesa-show-un-dia-quise-matar-mi-padre/

LA NACION. (2023, September 18). Murió Vanessa show, La Primera Vedette trans de la argentina. LA NACION. https://www.lanacion.com.ar/espectaculos/personajes/murio-vanessa-show-la-primera-vedette-trans-de-la-argentina-tenia-72-anos-nid15092023/

Tauil, R., & Show, V. (2009, April 17). Señora Show. Pagina 12. other. Retrieved March 7, 2024,. https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/suplementos/soy/1-701-2009-04-17.html

Torchia, F., & Show, V. (2018, February 2). Mostra Show. Pagina 12. other. Retrieved March 7, 2024,. https://www.pagina12.com.ar/92795-mostra-show