Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Glamorous’ follows the story of a young man named Marco, who gets his dream job working for Madolyn Addison, an ex-model who now owns and runs a makeup empire. The opportunity of a lifetime soon turns out to be more challenging than Marco believed as he faces the struggles of being Madolyn’s second assistant. Meanwhile, he also meets men that he is attracted to. He falls in love, has his first serious relationship, and has breakups that show him what he wants from his partner. This journey leads Marco to the point where he accepts himself for who he is and decides to do something about it. Here’s what the finale of ‘Glamorous’ means for him. SPOILERS AHEAD
Marco is Revealed to be Trans
Marco is introduced to the audience as a young gay man full of life. He seems confident on the outside, but with time, we discover Marco has his share of doubts and fears, often leading him to make irrational decisions. But he learns from his mistakes and moves on. In his journey, the biggest support he gets is from his mother, which is why it is difficult for him when she finds a job in another city and decides to move there.
Before bidding goodbye to his mother, Marco tries to tell her something. In return, she whispers something in his ear. Later, when everything has settled down at Glamorous, we find Marco on his way to an appointment with a transgender specialist. A flashback reveals that his mother called him “the best daughter a mother could have.” This shows that Marco is trans and is ready to take a step toward their true self.
From the beginning of the show, Marco is a gender nonconformist who is not afraid to express themselves through their makeup and the way they dress. For some, like Ben, this was a sign of their confidence, and for others, like Parker, this was intimidating. Despite dating Marco and claiming to like them for who they are, Parker never quite accepted this version and always tried to get Marco to tone it down. In the end, Marco decides not to let people like Parker control them and their identity. Having come out to their mother and getting her blessing, they decide it’s time for them to take a step forward.
Miss Benny is Embracing Queer, Non-Binary Identity
Miss Benny identifies as a queer, non-binary person. The singer, actor, and former Youtuber adopted the stage name Miss Benny in 2019 because “I was always dressed to the nines and had my face done perfectly.” They called “queer” the first word “that encompassed everything that I identify as.” Initially, they identified as a gay man. However, over time, they realized that their sexuality might not be “a straight line.” “My gender identity was still a question mark to me, I put a lot of pressure on myself to define one side or the other on everything. ‘Queer’ was the first term that expressed what I was feeling,” they said.
For Miss Benny, their sexuality remains a fluidity in which they have found comfort in not identifying or relating to one specific thing. Talking about the origin story behind their name, they said: “It’s slightly masculine but still feminine, and a lot of the time leaves people curious about what that means. And that’s kind of how I like that because there is a lot of ambiguity with how I identify. So I kind of like my perception to be that as well.”
Born and raised in Dallas, Miss Benny revealed that several things led them to realize that their sexuality exists on a spectrum. They loved playing dress-up as a child, where they found temporary “permission to embrace [their] femininity in a safe space.” While discovering their sexuality at a young age was great, it was also “challenging in all the ways that any queer person who grows up in a less accepting environment finds challenging.” They have been through many ups and downs and come a long way since then. Despite their struggles over the years, they admitted that all of that has made them “very resilient and even more determined to pursue [their] dream.”
Read More: Miss Benny: Everything We Know
