Germany's gender-fluid top model takes on discrimination

DW (English)

He's in parliament in the morning and on the catwalk in the evening: Felix Nieder, one of Germany's top male models, describes himself as gender-fluid. Nieder is working to tear down gender boundaries and stop discrimination.

Transcript

00:00 A man presenting women's wear. Felix Nieder slips right into it.

00:05 As here at Berlin Fashion Week, where he's been booked as a model by several designers.

00:09 He sees himself as gender fluid.

00:12 Gender fluid means swimming through the genders like a fish.

00:16 I set myself no limits. I take on what I like, male, female.

00:20 I wear whatever I want, including women's clothing.

00:23 He fought hard for that self-confidence.

00:26 Working his way up from a bullied schoolboy to one of Germany's most successful male models.

00:31 How did he do it?

00:33 As a child, Felix preferred to play with dolls.

00:38 The other boys in his class made fun of him.

00:40 At age 12, he realized he was gay.

00:43 For fear of being ostracized even more, he kept it hidden, even from himself, for over 10 years.

00:52 I imagined my life again and again. I saw myself at 20 and then 30,

00:56 and imagined how society constantly discriminated against me.

00:59 At some point I told myself, from now on, I'm going to play a role.

01:03 I'll put on a mask and try to speak with a deep voice and join in with the boys,

01:07 maybe even play some soccer, and make an effort to play along with a normal, hetero lifestyle.

01:17 Felix Nieder wrote a very personal autobiography about his double life, titled

01:21 "Als mein schwules Ich starb" - When my gay self died.

01:26 Now he owns up to his homosexuality, though he didn't come out until he was 23,

01:33 and even then only to his mother.

01:35 It was a vulnerable moment in his life.

01:38 I remember that I needed lots of closeness.

01:44 I said to my mom, even though I'm 23, can I sit on your lap this once?

01:48 I got up the courage to say, Mama, I like men.

01:51 At that moment my mom started crying.

01:53 She said she was crying because she was afraid I'd be discriminated against all my life.

01:58 After graduating from high school, Felix studied law in Hamburg.

02:04 When he was discovered as a model, he left university,

02:07 moved to Los Angeles and gained his first work experience in front of the camera.

02:13 In 2022, he was honored to be the closing model at a show by Polish-German fashion designer David Tomaszewski,

02:19 where he presented a wedding skirt and made a clear statement calling for greater tolerance.

02:25 It was a turning point.

02:27 David numbers among the top five designers here in Germany,

02:33 so that put a really big name behind me, saying, yes, I believe in Felix

02:37 and his idea that he can wear skirts, that he can be feminine on the catwalk.

02:41 David supported that, and it had a domino effect.

02:45 Many more designers jumped on the bandwagon.

02:48 Ever since, Felix has had his choice of gigs.

02:53 He gets booked as a model for men's, women's and gender-fluid apparel.

02:57 And he puts his private wardrobe together from across the spectrum.

03:01 Felix is also politically active against discrimination.

03:06 Homosexuality may have been legalized in Germany in 1994, but prejudices still persist.

03:12 And Germany's basic law does not explicitly state that people may not be discriminated against because of their sexuality.

03:19 I'd like everyone in our country to enjoy equal rights as regards both sexuality and identity.

03:25 And I'd like it to stay that way in this country, no matter which administration is in power.

03:30 To help make that happen, he's meeting Ricarda Lang at the Bundestag.

03:35 She's currently chairperson of Germany's Green Party, one of the parties making up the governing coalition.

03:41 She supports Felix's objectives.

03:43 He's in parliament in the morning and on the catwalk in the evening.

03:50 Felix appears in the fashion show by the Berlin Damur label.

03:53 Fashion designer Damur Huang, originally from Taiwan, has worked with Felix many times.

04:03 Felix is definitely the kind of model that works professionally.

04:06 And of course he looks fantastic.

04:09 And I also think that he fits into our brand identity of unisex and LGBTQ+.

04:16 And if it's the right fit, I always like to book him.

04:19 The unisex fashion with an Asian touch may be worn by either men or women.

04:26 Perfect for Felix.

04:28 I want young people to know that they should be who they are.

04:32 You can see by my example. I get on the catwalk even in women's wear.

04:35 No limits. I want to be who I am.

04:38 And I'd hope all young people could do the same.

04:40 Be brave and come out. That's all that counts.

04:43 Love yourselves.

04:45 Felix Nieder found a way to accept himself and embark on a career as a gender-fluid model.

04:51 One day he wants to finish studying law and maybe go into politics.

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