[How it Works](https://pucksandpaperbacks.binderybooks.com/how-it-works/) [Bookshop](https://pucksandpaperbacks.binderybooks.com/books/bindery/) [Publishing](https://pucksandpaperbacks.binderybooks.com/publishing/) [Team](https://pucksandpaperbacks.binderybooks.com/team/) [Contact](https://pucksandpaperbacks.binderybooks.com/contact/) Log in or Sign up Horse Barbie: A Memoir Geena Rocero Save to Your Books [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/3647/9780593445884) [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0593445880?tag=pucksandpaperbacks-20) 100% of affiliate revenue supports Alex (Pucksandpaperbacks) > “A moving chronicle of trans resilience and joy.”—Vogue > > “Rocero forged a path for herself where one hadn’t previously existed and in _Horse Barbie_ gives us such a warm and relatable story of strength and spirit.”—Elle, Best Memoirs of 2023 (So Far). **As a young femme in 1990s Manila, Geena Rocero heard, “Bakla, bakla!,” a taunt aimed at her feminine sway, whenever she left the tiny universe of her eskinita.** Eventually, she found her place in trans pageants, the Philippines’ informal national sport. When her competitors mocked her as a “horse Barbie” due to her statuesque physique, tumbling hair, long neck, and dark skin, she leaned into the epithet. By seventeen, she was the Philippines’ highest-earning trans pageant queen. A year later, Geena moved to the United States where she could change her name and gender marker on her documents. But legal recognition didn’t mean safety. In order to survive, Geena went stealth and hid her trans identity, gaining one type of freedom at the expense of another. For a while, it worked. She became an in-demand model. But as her star rose, her sense of self eroded. She craved acceptance as her authentic self yet had to remain vigilant in order to protect her dream career. **The high-stakes double life finally forced Geena to decide herself if she wanted to reclaim the power of Horse Barbie once and for all: radiant, head held high, and unabashedly herself.** A dazzling testimony from an icon who sits at the center of transgender history and activism, _Horse Barbie_ is a celebratory and universal story of survival, love, and pure joy. Show more Get the Bindery app * * * Posts about this title from Alex (Pucksandpaperbacks) [Alex (Pucksandpaperbacks)\\ \\ Alex (he/him/his)\\ \\ • Jun 28](https://pucksandpaperbacks.binderybooks.com/) [50+ trans book recommendations 🏳️‍⚧️](https://pucksandpaperbacks.binderybooks.com/item/rX4As1PWOvuVhHN7Gsus/) Over 50 trans book recommendations for the Trans Rights Readathon and Trans Reading Challenge ranging from memoirs, nonfiction, romance, contemporary, YA and middle grade, and some SFF. * * * 69 books 1 Posts about this book from across Bindery [Alex (Pucksandpaperbacks)\\ \\ Alex (he/him/his)\\ \\ • Jun 28](https://pucksandpaperbacks.binderybooks.com/) [50+ trans book recommendations 🏳️‍⚧️](https://pucksandpaperbacks.binderybooks.com/item/rX4As1PWOvuVhHN7Gsus/) * * * 69 books 1 [Babes in Bookland\\ \\ by Alex Frnka\\ \\ • Oct 31 2025](https://babesinbookland.binderybooks.com/) Join for free [Welcome to ✨Babes in Bookland✨-- your new favorite podcast!](https://babesinbookland.binderybooks.com/item/jRi1ofxPj49ejNo0VL4Y/) Welcome to ✨Babes in Bookland✨-- your new favorite podcast! Available wherever you find your podcasts! (including YouTube!) I'm basically a one woman shop, (shout out to my friends who give their time and @bri\_picone who edits some of my episodes!) so your support means the world to me! Please share the show with your friends and the women you love 🩷 And drop your favorite women's memoir in the comments so we can cover it on the show! ⬇️ Thank you! Xx, Alex * * * 8 books [Sapph-Lit\\ \\ Nina\\ \\ • Dec 18 2024](https://sapphlit.binderybooks.com/) Join for free [Holiday ✨GIVEAWAY✨ Alert!](https://sapphlit.binderybooks.com/item/NfVvxpKDwxgEvEm9Sxpw/) * * * 6 books [Sapphic and Proud \\ \\ Amivi\\ \\ • May 17 2023](https://sapphicandproud.binderybooks.com/) Join for free [thank you @Penguin Random House #penguinrandomhouse #bookishunboxing #thefinalstrife #lgbtqbookrecs](https://sapphicandproud.binderybooks.com/item/5zPYvw5rhKcp3KJtPluT/) thank you @Penguin Random House #penguinrandomhouse #bookishunboxing #thefinalstrife #lgbtqbookrecs * * * 8 books