Original subtitles

Slay Model Management is the world's first

transgender model agency.

I'm leaving New York.

Since I left New York,

Al has become distant.

You don't sound too happy.

I'm not gonna let you f--- my career.

I don't know if our marriage is going to survive.

LAITH: I haven't dated anyone since

I started my transition.

If anyone's gonna have Laith, it's me.

LAITH: She's just not afraid and that's hot.

God. What's going on?

ARISCE: Me and Laith are dating.

It's official.

You're really cute by the way.

You better work. (laughs)

We have a go-see with Spiegel.

Spiegel is huge.

ARISCE: 'Cause I've done this 1,000 times.

The younger girls freeze up all of the time.

You got the job.

(grunting)

You're gonna be their first trans model.

ARISCE: When people hire a younger girl over me

I'm like, "What are you doing?"

LAITH: This is New York fashion week.

I invited my mom, but she's never seen me

at a runway show.

ARISCE: Did your mom come?

I don't know what's going on.

Arisce is saying, "You should come to L.A."

ARISCE: If Laith ultimately doesn't move to L.A.,

there is no relationship.

I just keep losing you with the face.

It's distracting from the clothing.

I can either shut it down

and cut my losses.

I just can't afford to lose the money.

Cece, I need to go home.

Al got her a ring.

Your job is to keep Dominique in L.A.

CASSANDRA: You got the bridal commercial.

I would get married in this.

What the hell?! (laughs)

*

* Let's ri-i-i-i-de

* Livin' that vi-i-i-i-be...

Hello.

It's really exciting

to be back in New York.

It's amazing

that I got this whole Spiegel thing.

Spiegel's a major fashion catalog.

If I've heard of them, you know that they've got to be big.

And, apparently, I'm going to be

the first trans cover model for it.

Above anything, really, I want

to make everyone in the agency proud.

I'm really glad

Laith and Arisce are in town for fashion week.

I'm definitely a little bit

nervous about the Spiegel shoot,

because this is as a huge deal

as everybody's been making it out to be.

So, are you at least glad

to be seeing him again in New York?

Don't enjoy

the long distance?

We talk on the phone a lot.

I give Arisce and Laith

a lot of s--- about...

them dating because

they're all over social media.

I enjoy Laith's company.

Aw. (laughs)

I enjoy my company, too.

(Laith laughs)

Arisce and I

are dating long distance.

We've gotten close pretty fast,

but I wish she weren't so far away.

Are you shooting

a fashion shoot? Or is it... what is it?

I got the Spiegel shoot.

Nice. Congratulations.

So exciting.

ARISCE: It's a huge deal, actually.

She's playing it down.

Spiegel is exactly the kind of mainstream job

I would have loved to have.

I'm still irritated. I should have been a first choice.

Like, her and Cece have been, like,

drilling into me that

I'm gonna be the first

trans model to get, like, a c-commercial campaign.

Wow, that's a huge deal.

But, um, the good thing is

you don't really have to be nervous.

When you're taking, like, 125 photos,

you're only gonna like, like, two of them, anyways.

They just use all of them.

This is New York City.

This is a real brand.

I would hope she sees this as an opportunity

to really bring it.

It'll be fine.

And they'll hire you again and again and again

if you do a good job.

Is she ready?

I don't know.

I hope for the best.

Fingers all the way crossed.

You'll be fine.

* Runnin', runnin'

* Runnin', runnin' out of time

* Runnin', runnin'

* Runnin' to the dark side.

I thought you had a pet here.

(laughing): Oh, stop it. (laughs)

Can I borrow it?

You have nothing

to attach it to. I'll just have bangs.

(laughs)

DOMINIQUE: Today I'm shooting

for a major makeup brand.

I'm loving my career.

I'm loving

everything that's happening.

So, how are you doing?

How do you feel?

(sighs) Just crazy?

But the emotions are so mixed because

my mind is still on my husband.

I'm doing what I need to do

to give us the come up that we need.

You're out there by yourself and I'm, I'll be by myself.

I don't know if I can have both career

and family.

This is the longest

we've been apart

and it's hard on him.

It's a lot of work.

But I'm not sleeping well.

I miss my husband.

So, Cece, I need to go home.

You know what?

Home is where you make it and this is it now.

It's like... the other girls need you. I need you.

I know I can still get her more work,

but I'm really worried that she's giving up on her career

when it's just starting to take off.

You know what?

I don't ever like bringing up

the age thing or anything,

but it's more of, like, your viability.

It's like...

if not now, when?

LAITH: Do you have anything to wear

for the after party?

I always have something to wear.

It's just I would need something new to wear.

Is there a particular store you want to go to?

It's SoHo. I want to try all of them.

LAITH: It's really cool that

Arisce and I are walking

for New York Fashion Week.

Fashion Week is, like, a big deal.

I was having a conversation with my mom.

She told me that she showed my pictures

to some lady in church

and she actually called me her son.

I was like, "Whoa."

I was shocked. Well, that's sweet.

Yeah. (chuckles)

My mom had the hardest time

with my transition

because of her religious views.

When I learned that she called me her son at church,

it's a huge deal, especially for her.

I was thinking about inviting her to our show tomorrow.

Invite her to the show.

I'm gonna. I think I'm gonna call her, but...

Hold on. I see something sinister I need.

Okay.

Uh, if I take too long, just come and get me.

Yeah. I'll go in. Okay.

LAITH: I want my mom to be part of my life.

And I want her to meet Arisce.

I hope my mom will be open to that.

Hey, Mom.

Hey, what, how, what's going on?

I have a fashion show tomorrow

and, uh, I was thinking that maybe

you should come?

It would mean a lot if you came. And, um,

uh, I want you to meet one of the models in Slay.

Her name is Arisce.

My mom has met all

my past girlfriends, and then she's, like,

got really close to them

and they became, like, best friends.

She's a friend of mine.

Yeah, she's a pretty close friend.

But I don't talk

about relationships with my mom when they're developing.

It's usually

after they're already a thing.

Then I'll introduce

them to her.

If, uh, my mom were to meet Arisce,

I think she'd be

really excited about it.

(laughs) I think she'd love it.

O-Okay.

All right. I love you, Mom.

All right. Bye.

My mom wouldn't say

for sure if she was gonna come

to the fashion show.

Her being there and being able to see

that I'm happy with who I am

would mean a lot to me.

* Mm, hey, hey, hey

* Hey, you, in that suit and tie *

* Walking down the boulevard

* Head held high * High *

* Try to keep up.

(phone ringing)

Hello.

CECE: Oh, my God, Al.

How are you?

I'm all right. I'm doing good.

I'm on my way to the office

and I randomly get a call from Al.

CECE: After the big fight, Al and I actually bonded.

And I told him,

"Call me whenever you need anything."

What?

Do you want to tell me the surprise?

I'm kind of excited.

CECE: Oh, my God. How long have you guys

been together?

CECE: Wait, was there an actual wedding when you got married?

And this is amazing. She's always wanted a ring.

She never had one.

He's really doing everything to save this marriage

and make it work.

Maybe he's turned a corner.

My lips are sealed.

I'll definitely help you plan it.

We have to help Al pull this off

before Dominique heads back to New York.

I'll help with the wedding.

The marriage is yours.

(laughs)

*

Hello. Hi, baby doll.

How are you? Doing good and you?

Good to see you again. Mwah. Welcome.

Are you excited for today?

Scared excited.

You're gonna do great.

Um, so I'm gonna send you to hair and makeup.

Okay. Um... And they're gonna beautify you.

Usually with shoots,

I kind of wing it on the spot

but Spiegel is this huge

mainstream magazine and I'm gonna be

the first transgender person

in their entire catalog.

I've honestly never really

in my life felt all this kind of pressure on my shoulders.

All right love, are we ready?

Give me everything you got.

*

RICHARD: I like the movement of the body,

but don't over exaggerate it.

Just be very mindful,

you're making faces when you're moving.

It's distracting from the clothing.

PHOTOGRAPHER: Three, two and one. Same face problem.

And one. Delete that.

Let's try that again. Three, two and one.

RICHARD: Sweetie, I want you to come have a look.

So we've gotten about 40 captures so far.

I still don't have a clean shot.

It'd be nice if we could get just one clean shot

where your face is relaxed. Okay.

PHOTOGRAPHER: All right, love. Give it to me.

Show me what you got. RICHARD: In the most beautiful way.

Three, two and one. All right, okay.

Keep your eyes on the barrel of, uh, my camera.

Three, two, and one.

RICHARD: Mm. Same problem.

REN: He's not getting anything good out of me.

It's freaking me out, to be honest.

I've never really done a bad job before.

This one? Yeah. All right, I'm gonna give you that sweetie pie.

REN: It's frustrating trying to imitate

the poses that they want, but at the same time,

everything that you seem to be doing is wrong.

After this next look, if she can't relax,

we're gonna lose an entire day.

You're gonna to move? My mom needs me.

Mama's boys don't get married.

They already have a woman in their life.

RICHARD: I'm not happy with those shots.

Oh, my God.

* Turn it up, yeah

ISIS: Hey.

CECE: How are you? I'm hungry.

(chuckling): You're supposed to be hungry.

So me, Dominique and Arisce,

none of us booked Spiegel.

It's just scary because

I barely booked any job since moving to L.A.

and I've got bills to pay.

I had a casting.

Oh, how did it go? Didn't get it...

Any good news for me?

I'm excited because Cece got me this go-see

for Michael Costello.

He's one of the biggest designers right now,

and I'm gonna eat this runway up and show Michael Costello

what I'm made of.

Now, Isis is 5'7", so...

don't think runway's gonna be her strong point.

But you know, she's gorgeous. Mm-hmm.

She has a lot of potential. Let's see what she can do.

This is an important day because, you know,

this is for New York Fashion Week.

I know the importance of this job

for Isis, and I really,

really want her to get it.

In order for you to get all the print stuff,

you have to be seen... at Fashion Week. And if you

don't make it to Fashion Week, nobody knows you exist.

Michael Costello has one of the largest shows

during New York Fashion Week.

Some girls are born for print,

and some girls are just born for the runway. Yeah.

But you know...

people change. Yeah.

All right, well, I'm gonna let you go so you can focus.

(quietly): Bye.

He's a huge deal, and...

I want to be a part of that.

I want to be a Michael Costello girl.

*

This is a nice park. I don't hate it.

(laughs) I don't hate it...

Oh, so you don't hate everything New York now. That's great.

I don't hate everything New York.

LAITH: I didn't think I would ever

be open to a relationship ever again.

When I was transitioning, I was in my own head

and I was uncomfortable with my body.

With Arisce, it feels natural.

We talk about everything. Our dreams, our fears,

what we want out of life.

Hosting and things like that,

what does that mean for your career, like,

do you want to just continue doing that?

Or do you still want to model?

Hosting is... the next chapter, I think, in my life.

I get to actually use my personality.

ARISCE: Since I'm clearly not getting big campaigns

I really want to do TV.

It's not easy.

Uh...

While chasing...

ooh, it says "well chasing."

Uh, sorry.

I think you just got to practice more.

I want to be the person that I wished I saw on TV as a kid.

Mm-hmm. You know, because there's so many people

that aren't being represented.

I learned this at like 14.

I never really hid who I was,

so with that came a lot of, like,

scrutiny from classmates and peers

and, like, getting made fun of and talked about,

and it was really hurtful, and I remember I came home one day,

and this is where, like, it was, like, my turning point.

I said, "Mom." I said, "Everyone

"at school, like, is, like, really mean to me.

Like, I'm, like, a leper."

And she goes, "Honey, they believe

"what you want them to believe.

"If you act like you're cool,

"they'll think you're cool.

"So just stop giving a sh--

about what they think."

It was like "ding."

(chuckles) And I said, "Really?" She goes, "Yeah."

She goes, "You're gonna have to be a bitch

the rest of your life if you want to get your way."

I have been a bitch ever since.

(chuckling): Okay. Because I don't have to care about what people think.

I don't have to dress a certain way.

I don't have to hold myself a certain way.

And that's what I think I stand for

and that's what I want to see on TV.

LAITH: What inspires me about Arisce is that

she always goes after what she wants.

I can definitely learn a thing or two from that.

So what do you want to do?

You gonna move?

I want to... I'm not sure if I want to stay here.

I do want to see what it's like in L.A.

But it's really complicated, because my mom needs me,

so I almost have to pick one side over the other.

LAITH: New York has always been home and...

I live with my mom because, uh, we're a Latin family,

and usually you don't really move out

(chuckling): until you're in your late 20s.

So my mom is pulling me in New York and Arisce is saying,

"You should come to L.A." But I don't want to make a decision

based on... on other people, either.

I want to do what's best for me.

You know, I just don't want you to fall back on this excuse of,

like "Oh, you know, I...

don't want to leave" because you want to help your mom.

You learn to let go. You cut the cord, Yeah.

and then you just have a new cord.

It's called a phone. (laughing)

ARISCE: I've told him

that I don't do long-distance relationships,

because they haven't worked in the past.

I'm a Hollywood girl.

So if he wants it to work, he has to come to Hollywood.

You can grow better

if you get out of your comfort zone. You'll be happier.

ARISCE: If Laith ultimately doesn't move to L.A.,

there is no relationship.

It's either he moves or I'm out.

It's why mama's boys don't get married.

(chuckles) They already have a woman in their life

and no one wants to compete with that sh--.

*

Okay, so...

I knew you were gonna come to my side.

(scoff, laughs) Please, these are white dresses.

Are you getting married? God no.

So Al calls, and he needs my help

to renew his vows with Dominique.

I have this brilliant plan

and I need the strongest help I can get.

You're not gonna believe what's happened. What?

Al got Dominique a ring.

Really? Yeah!

And he wants

to give Dominique a surprise wedding.

Okay.

Listen, I know you have your reservations about Al.

I get that. I just felt like...

he was trying to keep Dominique, you know, his.

He wanted her to cook meatloaf every night.

That's not Dominique.

She belongs in gowns.

CASSANDRA: When I first hear about it,

I'm definitely not

gung-ho.

I'm thinking like,

"What?"

But the reality of the situation is Al

is telling the world that this is the woman he loves.

This is something

that I think is gonna be so incredible for her.

I mean it's actually kind of sweet. Yeah.

So you're going to have to help me put together this wedding,

because Dominique has no idea.

Right. We have to find a dress,

and your primary job is to keep Dominique in L.A.

Okay. You live with her.

You know how she's been wanting to leave.

I know, but how am I supposed to do that?

I mean she...

she misses her dog. She misses her husband.

Dominique loves Al but she wants her career

and she's afraid that she's gonna lose him.

I think I can come up with something.

Whatever the plan is, I don't really care right now.

Just don't screw this up for her. I won't.

I love Dominique and I do think this is gonna be beautiful.

Just keep her here, okay? That's what's important.

I can do this.

*

PHOTOGRAPHER: Three, two, one.

All right, your arm is blocking the pants.

REN: I'm not really used to this

catalog direction.

What they're telling me to do

is what I'm usually not used to doing.

PHOTOGRAPHER: You want to make sure that your hand

is not completely covering the product,

RICHARD: And keep smiling.

I need you to look beautiful and happy.

But your-your face is not in complete control.

Losing it with the face.

Every photo she's taking,

it's so serious-looking.

Seems like everything that I do is wrong.

PHOTOGRAPHER: Okay, you're arching your back a little bit too much.

(sighing): Oh my God.

Let's move away from the action shots

'cause this is not working.

All right, we'll have you change really quick.

This is turning out to be kind of a little bit of a nightmare.

You feel okay?

Mm-hmm. Okay.

I'm starting to realize, I guess, I don't really know

that much about modeling.

So, sweetheart, you can eat now, relax a little bit.

You know, like, get your mojo back up and running.

I'll be right back.

(phone ringing)

CECE: Hello?

Hi, Cece, it's Richard at Spiegel.

Um, I have some problems at the photo shoot.

What's going on?

I'm afraid that she's-she's psyching herself out too much

and she's just too much in her head.

I'm really surprised.

I apologize.

I'm gonna try one more set and see if we're able to get

something that is manageable.

But to be frank, if not,

and I only have two options,

because I'm spending thousands of dollars on a location,

I can either shut it down and cut my losses,

or I can replace her with another model.

I'm going back to New York. Sh--!

I wasn't supposed to tell you, but...

Sometimes I have to bend the truth.

REN: I see Arisce talking to Richard.

And I'm not really sure what's going on but...

*

CECE: Hello.

Hi, Cece, it's Richard at Spiegel.

Um, I have some problems at the photo shoot.

I'm gonna try one more set and see if we're able to get

something that is manageable.

But to be frank, if not,

I can either shut it down all together

or I can replace her with another model.

If you have someone in New York, I'd love to talk about that.

Otherwise I might have to call another agency.

Ren is not delivering the goods.

I do not want to lose the biggest client

that Slay has ever had.

Okay, so just keep her, you know, on standby

because I seriously may need her. Yeah, yeah, please.

(phone buzzing)

Hello?

CECE: What's happening?

Talk to me because the client just called me

and they're not happy. I don't know.

I guess it's... What do you mean you don't know?

What do you mean? Talk to me please. I don't know, just,

I guess this is, like, different type of...

shooting that I haven't really done before.

They're going to give you one more shot at this.

Get your sh-- together, 'cause if you don't,

they're basically going to fire you.

I'm trying to get it together, okay?

I know you can do this.

And I know you have it in you.

This is nothing.

You can do this.

Don't think about all the other noise.

Okay.

Okay, bye-bye.

*

* You must be naughty

* You're acting naughty

That's good right? Insane.

Yeah, I am still a model.

Maybe when I turn 50,

I'll start eating stuff like that.

(both laugh)

So, what's going on? What's-what's up with you?

You seem stressed.

I...

just have absolutely no idea what is going on

with my husband. It's like,

I call, the phone just goes to voice mail.

And I'm here,

and... I honestly think I need to go back home.

No!

Sh--!

So Cece told me

that my job is to keep Dominique here in L.A.

because Al is coming.

If there's one thing

I can do, is I can manipulate the hell out of a situation

to make it go my way.

Dominique, Dominique, think about it.

Honey, you've been waiting your whole life

for this all to happen and it's happening now.

You got to stay here. Cassandra...

Everyone at the agency completely looks up to you.

You've set the standard for poise and beauty.

I've made my decision.

I am going back to New York. We need you.

And he's a grown man.

Yeah, he's a grown man that's a part of my life.

Please just see this through a couple more weeks.

I'm going back to New York.

I am freaking out.

What am I gonna do?

Of course I...

come up with a little white lie.

I wasn't supposed to tell you

till the whole thing was finalized.

You got the bridal commercial.

Okay, a big one.

You got it, sister.

You got it,

and you're gonna rock it.

(laughing): Okay.

It's a done deal.

Last week Dominique went on a go-see

for a bridal commercial.

Oh, she really wants it.

We haven't heard who got the job yet,

but Dominique doesn't know that.

I'm super excited that I got her to stay.

But Cece

is probably gonna be mad at me.

Now all I have to do is create a fake wedding commercial.

Everything you want is going to happen.

(laughing): Oh, my God!

* We gonna rise above

* Onto brighter days

MICHAEL COSTELLO: Now, Isis is 5'7",

so don't think runway's gonna be her strong point.

How are you guys?

Good, how are you?

Good.

I've always loved Michael Costello.

I followed his career since the beginning.

You better believe

I'm gonna walk my ass off

and show you that I'm here.

So this is your current book, right?

Yes.

How tall are you?

I am 5'8".

And what size do you wear in a shoe?

9 1/2.

I would love to see you walk.

Of course.

*

ISIS: They want to make sure

you have the ability to

own the outfit. (whispers): So good.

So good. XIXI YANG: She's good.

COSTELLO: See, that's a walk.

YANG: Mm-hmm. COSTELLO: That's incredible.

That's want we want to see. You have it.

If we were to book you

for the Michael Costello Show, New York Fashion Week,

what would that opportunity mean to you? It would mean a lot because

obviously you're one of the hottest designers,

so why wouldn't I want to be on your runway?

Hey! Yes!

ISIS: And you always have beautiful woman

on your runway with great walks and great structure,

and I feel like the new Michael Costello girl,

and I want to be one of those women.

Yes, well, Isis...

...welcome to the show, we're booking you

for this runway show. (whoops)

Thank you.

*

YANG: Ooh, ow!

So exciting. All right.

ISIS: The fact that I'm going to be

a Michael Costello girl is epic.

I get to walk beside all those tall models

and show them, like,

this is Isis King,

aka the Kate Moss of the trans models.

*

All right, here we go.

Hey, girl, hey!

How you doing? Hi, Cece told me to stop by.

So I get a call from Cece, and he's saying

Ren is bombing.

How's it going? I have two hours remaining

and we've only shot four or five looks

of the 20 that are here.

Ugh!

And if we can't get some usable images soon, I might ask you

to step in and pick her up for us.

Whoo, oh, goodness. Okay.

PHOTOGRAPHER : That's Spiegel right there. RICHARD: She's getting better.

When I saw Arisce there,

I was partially confused at first,

but it gave me a little bit of inspiration to try even harder

'cause now I've got

the sense they watching me.

WOMAN: Perfect, now a little bit more...

PHOTOGRAPHER: Oh, stay right there. Stay right there. WOMAN: Stay right there.

ARISCE: I want Ren to do well.

But if Ren can't deliver, I'm automatically

catapulted up there with Christie Brinkley

and Naomi Campbell,

with these models that have been in Spiegel.

And I'd be the first trans one.

It's huge. Like, let's be real here.

That's pretty.

PHOTOGRAPHER: Gorgeous, darling, gorgeous.

Do you want to move on now? Yeah.

You're good honey, you're good. REN: I'm feeling much more

relaxed now, I'm starting to get the hang of it.

But I see Arisce talking to Richard.

I'm not really sure what's going on.

But I can probably take a guess.

Hey, Erica, so we basically have to make a determination

at this point if we want to keep shooting with Ren

or if we want to move on to this girl, Arisce.

ERICA: Uh, is that a little better?

We're gonna find out.

ARISCE: Is your mom coming? We'll see.

*

So, we basically have to make a determination at this point

if we want to keep shooting with Ren

or if we want to move on to Arisce. ERICA: Uh...

RICHARD: She's getting better,

but I'm worried that by the time we end this shoot

we're not gonna have anything I can use.

REN: This is kind of the craziest moment of my life.

They're deciding right now my fate.

Are they gonna keep going

with me or swap me out

for Arisce?

I think we should move on don't you? Yeah. I-I do.

All right, moving on?

Moving on.

How you doing, dear? So, I'm gonna have to switch gears.

It's understandable. It's not my first time to have to switch a model.

Um, but I'm proud that you tried.

We just needed to move at a faster pace.

All right, thank you, honey.

Okay.

REN: I'm definitely disappointed.

And this was biggest opportunity, and I just blew it.

I guess I can't really just show up anymore

and expect everything to go great.

These are the big leagues.

Do good or get replaced.

Hey, Kelsey, can you bring Arisce over?

You want to take center stage and see what

we can do with you?

All right, here we go.

*

Gorgeous!

WOMAN: Amazing!

REN: When Arisce starts taking the pictures,

at first there's that feeling

of I f---ed up.

But at the same time, I am fully enveloped

in staring at her and seeing,

what is she doing that I need to do?

This is good.

REN: There's a reason why Arisce

is bigger and better than I am.

All right, this looks fantastic.

It's a skill I need to learn.

PHOTOGRAPHER: How are these looking, love?

They're looking good. They're great.

WOMAN: I love that.

ARISCE: I've wanted to do this since I was

about 14 years old.

I've worked really hard and I earned my way here.

RICHARD: That's great. Done. WOMAN: That looked great.

I mean, look at that. That was beautiful.

ARISCE: It just takes experience and

hard work does pay off.

That is sexy!

RICHARD: See what these look like.

That's great. Done. They look great.

RICHARD: I even love the shadow.

ARISCE: It feels unbelievable.

Like, of course, it's me, but I can't believe it's me.

(laughs)

Thank you so much!

I am very proud to be the first transgender face of Spiegel.

It's huge.

I literally just made history in one fell swoop.

And you're gonna have to come back and do it again.

Uh, I would love to.

Next stop Target. Next stop Victoria's Secret.

Thank you. You rock baby, you rock.

Work. (laughs)

RICHARD: So we're gonna take a group shot of everybody.

* Just a friend that's gonna love again. *

*

CASSANDRA: Have you ever had sex in this car?

No, I'm not like that.

I'm completely nervous.

I got Dominique to stay,

but I'm a little worried how Cece's

gonna react once he finds out how I did it.

So I have some really good news.

Okay.

I got Dominique to stay.

She's staying in L.A.

Good job. Yes.

CASSANDRA: I did have to tell a little

teeny-weeny white lie.

I told her that she got the bridal commercial.

Oh, my God.

You are going to give me a heart attack, like...

It was either lying to her about the commercial or tying her up.

What other choice did I have?

CECE: Oh, my God, Cassandra, how are you going to make this work?

I know that this has the appearance

of being a nightmare.

But, listen, it's all planned out.

Think about it.

She's gonna be dressed up.

She'll be thinking we're shooting a commercial,

and all of a sudden,

here's Al, who's gonna pop up.

This actually might be genius.

Exactly.

You just have to pull this off properly.

Mission accomplished.

CECE: Oh, my God.

I don't know why I'm buying into this.

*

REN: I'm feeling disappointed

about losing the Spiegel job to Arisce.

I feel like I let Cece down.

Not really looking forward to facing Cece that much.

But... what you gonna do?

*

* I got to make, make, make it count... *

WOMAN: All right, this is a make-up for--

LAITH: This is New York Fashion Week.

It's a big deal. I'm super nervous.

A lot more nervous than I thought I would be.

*

I invited my mom to go see me in action.

To have her being supportive, to have her at an event

that I'm in, it's a huge deal.

That's her accepting my gender identity.

(indistinct chatter)

It was crazy in there. It's, like, ridiculous.

ARISCE: Is your mom coming?

Well, I haven't seen her yet, but I really hope she makes it.

She's usually on time for church, but I don't know.

If she doesn't want to be here she probably...

If she shows up, she's acting out of love

and if she doesn't, she's acting out of fear.

This is not what she's used to doing.

Well, considering that this is an old church...

(laughing) Maybe she'll--

...I'm thinking she'll show up.

We'll see.

It's crowded, it's hot, I'm more than nervous.

I don't know if my mom's here.

If my mom shows up,

I am going to introduce my mom to-to Arisce.

Is there a shirt that goes with this or no?

The show is about to start

and I don't see my mom out there.

It looks like

she isn't coming.

I would get married in this.

We're actually pulling this off right now.

Oh, my God, that looks horrible!

CECE: Last night, I found out something that

*

LAITH: The show's about to start, but it looks

like my mom isn't coming.

But I have a job to do.

I can't let it get to me.

MAN: Go, go, go.

*

LAITH: It's a big deal for me and Arisce

to be walking in Fashion Week,

but my mom being there and being able to see that,

it would be a dream come true.

*

(applause)

ARISCE: I can tell Laith is stressing out about his mom,

because she's pretty good at not showing up.

Is your mom coming? Uh, I don't know.

I didn't see my mom in the audience

'cause I was just, I was focused on walking down the runway.

Ma?

Hi. (laughs)

*

Oh...

there you are.

I'm just really happy to see my mom.

If she hadn't shown up,

I feel like I would've been okay,

but this is definitely

a hell of a lot better.

Yeah.

Yeah, thank you...

(both laughing)

This is Arisce, this is one of the girls on the, on the...

Arisce doesn't like to meet parents,

but her doing this, it means a lot.

I love your shoes. Oh, thanks.

Those are fantastic.

Laith's mom's being super supportive.

You can see there's a lot of love there.

LAITH: My mom just called me her son.

I can't believe it.

Wow, this is amazing.

It's so nice to meet you. Yeah.

ARISCE: Laith's mom did exactly what I expected

her to and that is fall in love with me.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, she's really sweet.

It means a lot to me that you come to support.

Oh.

I-I know you do.

It's a huge step for our relationship.

And she was saying such nice things.

This is more growth than I ever

anticipated at all and then

she can be more comfortable with me being who I am.

But come on, Ma, let's go.

*

Thanks for coming.

This is the first time I'm seeing Ren

after the Spiegel debacle.

I was really upset

about Ren losing this job.

But then I find out something more alarming.

Something from her past that may ruin her career.

I feel like ever since you got back from New York,

you kind of have been avoiding me.

Let's be real.

What happened with Spiegel,

so it happens

in life,

in this industry.

You're always replaceable.

I feel like there's something more

that we haven't really talked about.

So I've been told...

...that there are explicit videos of you out there.

It just got really bright outside.

I'm sorry I didn't want to tell you.

You know, it was when I...

was early transitioning.

Trying to make it on my own and...

I decided I wasn't going back

to being homeless. (sniffles)

(sniffs)

I guess I just thought

nothing else was really gonna come out of my life.

(sniffs)

So... who gives a fu-- about the future

if I can survive now?

I have no family,

no friends...

no nothing going for me.

There's a point where I just want to lay down somewhere

and just hope I don't wake up.

CECE: It makes sense now.

I understand why

there's a certain tentativeness about Ren.

I really feel like this is what's holding Ren back.

First, I want you to know,

as your friend, I'm not going anywhere.

But I don't know why you wouldn't tell me.

I understand you had to do what you had to do.

A lot of trans people have to do it, too.

And if people can't forgive

the reality of what trans people go through,

that's on them.

But the truth is, Ren,

if I'm gonna be honest, I don't know...

where we go from here.

There are just some things that maybe out of reach now.

But I just need to go

and do some damage control here because...

it's out there.

And all the things that we wanted, like Spiegel,

like Target,

Macy's and all of that,

they may not bite.

* You make me

* Come alive

* You make me come alive.

We need to get this stuff going.

Dear God, the big day is finally here.

I'm down here

trying to put together this wedding

and Cece's up there trying to

get her ready for the fake wedding commercial.

Let's make sure it looks really good. I don't know.

Ren is sitting there looking like Wednesday Adams.

Here. I'm not good at this stuff.

No, we're just gonna make it pretty. It's more the sentiment.

Oh, look! Look who's coming.

(laughing): We need help.

Oh, now you're here. It looks fine.

I was invited as a guest to this wedding.

I'm not into manual labor.

Oh, my God, that looks horrible.

The dress is gorgeous.

It is. I know right?

I never really had a real wedding.

Getting into the beautiful gown

is really bittersweet for me.

CECE: You look amazing. But how do you feel in this?

This is gorgeous.

I would get married in this.

Would you? Yeah, I would.

We're actually pulling this off right now.

Dominique thinks that she's actually in a commercial

for a bridal shoot.

Ready? I-I'm... (laughs)

*

DOMINIQUE: You know I like stuff like this right?

I know.

ISIS: You nervous?

Aw.

*

Here she comes.

Where's the set?

ISIS: She looks like an angel from back here.

I'm gonna cry.

DOMINIQUE: Where are the lights?

ISIS: Okay, guys, be ready.

Where's the camera guy?

(Cece laughs)

Um...

What the hell?

*

(laughs) Um...

Wait, y'all... (Cece and Cassandra laugh)

What-- wait, wait, what is...

That's Al.

What the hell? CASSANDRA: You're getting married, baby girl.

Take a breath.

I can't believe you guys did this.

All yours.

Please be seated.

Are you ready?

We're ready.

Do you vow to stand by Dominique

and to support her dreams and passions?

Yes, to the fullest.

Dominique?

Do you vow to do your best

to live in happiness next to him?

I always have and always will.

BRUNE-HORAN: Would you please place the ring

on her left ring finger?

Repeat after me.

I give you this ring

to wear with love and joy.

(chuckles)

I give you this ring

to wear

with love and joy.

I choose you to be my wife,

this day and every day.

I choose you to be my wife,

this day and every day.

I give you this ring.

I choose you to be my husband,

this day and forever more.

I now proclaim you

both remarried.

Kiss your bride. Ha.

(cheering and applause)

(moaning)

Let's celebrate. (chuckles)

(laughs)

DOMINIQUE: I's married now.

(laughter)

(cheering and applause)

I left my safe space.

Decided to embark on an adventure,

and to top it all off,

the man that I gave 18 years of my life to,

finally decides to show me how much he cares.

I waited so long for this.

(screaming and laughter)

CECE: Wow, she really wants it.

And I didn't even drop my sandwich. You're all crazy.

CECE: Yes!

ISIS: Dominique is a great woman and I was

very inspired to continue to be optimistic

about finding the right person.

I'm ready for the next chapter.

Nothing can stop me at this point.

And I'm here.

CECE: I want you to know

you're still that girl,

who out of 485 applications, I chose one.

REN: I've gone through a lot

in the past year.

Hopefully losing Spiegel,

and everything kind of in my past,

won't keep from my future as a model.

There's so much room for improvement.

You know what? Learn from this,

and we'll still get to the top together.

Hopefully.

LAITH: Well, I'm really happy

for Dom and Al.

That was a really nice ceremony.

That was cute.

I am really thinking about actually staying--

like moving out here. I love L.A.

Look at the sunset. You're missing it.

LAITH: I think it's about

that time I left the nest.

I've been there way too long.

And see where things go with my career, with Slay,

and with Arisce. ARISCE: I'm excited for Laith to move here.

I'd like to try this out.

I just hope for more growth.

Like, I hope for me to grow.

Leave your heart open and love will find it's way in.

Can we work out

a plan where I can

be with my husband

and it doesn't conflict?

Well, here's the thing.

There's Slay L.A.

Why not have Slay New York?

What?

CECE: I really feel like

I have broken the boundaries

that I've set out to.

However, I want more for Slay.

I want Slay New York.

I want Slay Milan.

I want Slay Paris. I want it all.

* I

(cheering)

Cake, cake, cake!

ALL: Cake, cake!

(laughs)

(all talking indistinctly)

(woman whoops)

ALL: Oh!

(chuckles)

Congratulations.

So, I love each and every one of you.

You've changed my life.

To Slay. Yes.

Yes! (all cheering and clapping)

(whoops)

Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org

REN: For more information on Strut, go to Oxygen.com.

Did you see that? That was incredible.

Amazing. I love this.