ARMANI is a celebrity hairstylist and mother to teenager Mariyana. Armani was 22 years old when she adopted her then two-year-old daughter and the pair have a great relationship. Armani told truly: “I would describe me and Mariyana as the power couple, best friend duo.” The mother and daughter create fun videos together on social media but this has led to some judgement and derogatory comments. Armani is trans and has been told by trolls to give her daughter back, misgendered and, Armani added, “they like to say I have forced my kid to be gay.” But the pair are determined to continue inspiring others and remain positive. Armani said: “I really want my kid to be successful, to be able to stand on her own two feet in the world and be very independent and secure with who she is as a person."
Instagram: @Armani_stay_stamped
TikTok: @Armani_stay_stampedd
YouTube: @Armanistaystamped
Instagram: @Armani_stay_stamped
TikTok: @Armani_stay_stampedd
YouTube: @Armanistaystamped
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FunTranscript
00:00 I have been judged as a trans mom every day of my life.
00:03 I've had people tell me, "Give that child back."
00:06 Like, we're doing a disservice to her.
00:08 They like to say I have forced my kid to be gay.
00:11 If it was up to me, Mariana would be a Kardashian.
00:15 How would you describe your life growing up with your mom as your mom?
00:19 How did I learn about my mother being trans?
00:23 Me and my cousin had a disagreement, an argument.
00:27 So, he wanted to be petty and blurt it out.
00:31 And I had to sit there and think, like, "Okay, well, I know my mom ain't no man, but my mom not like most women."
00:38 So, I came to the car and me and her sat down and I asked her, and she told me.
00:45 How old were you?
00:46 I was like 12, 11.
00:50 11, 12.
00:51 My heart dropped to my feet, 'cause I had a vision in my head that I would wait
00:55 'til a certain time in Mariana's life that she would be a little more mature.
00:58 But actually, she took it very well, better than I could have ever expected.
01:03 And it kind of was like water off a duck's back, you know?
01:06 Breath of Fresh Air, we can just open up and be 100% transparent with each other.
01:10 Before I started transitioning, I used to feel a little out of place,
01:14 because I knew that I was different, but I really couldn't put words to it
01:17 and didn't know what I needed to do to feel more complete with myself.
01:20 I identified as male when I first adopted Mariana.
01:23 In that same year, I started my transition.
01:25 I was about 22 years old.
01:28 I decided to adopt actually because of my partner.
01:31 I never seen myself as a mom until I got with Mariana's dad.
01:35 And so that was something that he had in the vision for our life,
01:38 and we embarked on that journey together.
01:40 We were fostering her first, and then it turned into an adoption
01:42 probably like two or three years down the line.
01:46 At the beginning, she was my little princess, so of course she had the big bows
01:50 and the tutus.
01:52 Now that she's grown up, she almost has a little more swag than me,
01:55 if I can be honest.
01:57 So, Mari, how would you describe your mom's style?
02:00 I would say very much expensive and outgoing because she's very much love.
02:07 Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, Dior, you know.
02:13 What do you think about this?
02:14 See, that's cute, but what shoes?
02:17 I could wear my white Valentino heels right there.
02:21 They're cute.
02:23 Mariana started off as my little princess,
02:25 but now I have an independent teenager, it's like I don't know where the time went.
02:30 Look at how big these look.
02:31 These stacked jeans, they're supposed to look like this.
02:34 Actually, a hoodie.
02:37 Y'all love a hoodie.
02:39 Why not?
02:40 What do you think people misunderstand about you and Mari as a mother-daughter duo?
02:44 They like to say I have forced my kid to be gay.
02:48 Mari didn't actually tell me that she was gay.
02:51 Actually, I told my father first because that was the one person I was really worried about
02:57 because my mama, she was going to accept either way.
02:59 Me being a glam type of girl and being heavy on the aesthetics,
03:03 I realized over time that the things that I was buying her wasn't to her liking.
03:07 She would throw the dresses in the back of the closet and try to get them more baggy clothes.
03:11 If it was up to me, Mariana would be a Kardashian.
03:15 Me knowing how I was as a kid and how different I was from my siblings,
03:20 it put a light bulb in my head.
03:23 I want to say that Mariana told her dad before she told me and her dad told me.
03:27 Watching Mariana and raising Mariana, I knew it.
03:30 I just wasn't going to come out and say, "Daughter, you're gay," or, "Are you gay?"
03:33 Because I know me being a trans woman, people were going to, number one, say it was because of me.
03:38 I wanted her to just figure out who she was and nurture that person because that's what my parents did for me.
03:43 So that's the same love that I bestowed upon Mariana.
03:46 How would you describe your life growing up with your mom as your mom?
03:50 It was very like--it was like a roller coaster, especially finding out she was trans.
03:59 What I love about me and my mom's relationship is that if anything goes wrong or anything happens,
04:04 we can come and sit down and talk about it and see how it goes.
04:08 You ready for this one?
04:11 Mm-hmm.
04:12 We started sharing our story online during the pandemic, and we started posting videos of us just dancing.
04:17 And when people discovered that she was my daughter, they started with the narratives that, you know,
04:22 I had a woman in the past that I had got pregnant.
04:25 And when I released that, you know, I adopted my daughter, that's kind of when the story blew up and went wild.
04:30 And we've just been making fun videos ever since.
04:32 It's going to count down.
04:34 Me and Mariana love creating content together. It's crazy.
04:40 I would describe me and Mariana as the power couple best friend duo.
04:45 What kind of content do you enjoy creating with your mom?
04:48 Funny, something to make people laugh, meaningful, so it could be a meaning behind our TikTok,
04:54 and very much relatable.
04:56 It's my favorite.
04:57 People, they have been very judgmental.
05:02 Get help, give your daughter back, you're the dad, you're the dad, you're the dad.
05:07 It's abomination to Christ. I brainwashed her.
05:10 It's just a plethora of things that we get.
05:12 I feel like you should not be judging people about what they is or what they are.
05:16 You just need to get to know them or meet them to judge them.
05:20 But then we have got a gang of followers who follow us.
05:23 We look for the positive. Like, we always go for the people who are supporting us and uplifting us and encouraging us.
05:28 And sometimes we actually laugh at the haters, and it just is what it is.
05:32 When me and Mariana go over our TikTok, we always feed into the positivity and the people who uplift us and support us more so than the negative.
05:39 Even when we go out in public, like, me and Mariana have the best time.
05:42 Your dad and your titty here.
05:45 I'm here.
05:46 Victor is Mariana's dad, and we dated for nine and a half years.
05:50 How you doing, baby?
05:51 Hello, mom.
05:52 He was the one that had the vision of us being parents.
05:54 Victor loved the kids, and the kids loved Victor.
05:56 This right here is Mariana's dad.
05:58 This is also one of the closest people to me who's been with me day through day with my transition and being a mom and just parenting and everything.
06:05 Since we separated, we're like the best friends, and we co-parent amazing, and both have the best interests for her at the end of the day.
06:12 Their relationship is very close-knit.
06:15 I love the fact that Mariana's able to go to Armani and talk to her and be open with her.
06:20 So the fact that they have a very close-knit mother and daughter relationship is really good.
06:25 This is my sister, Andrea.
06:27 This is one of the closest people to me.
06:29 She has been like my rock.
06:31 For a living, I'm a celebrity hairstylist.
06:33 I started doing hair when I was about 14.
06:35 I used to do all the girls' hair in high school and have them come into my house on the weekends, stressing my parents out.
06:39 Andrea, how would you describe Armani as a mother?
06:43 She is wonderful.
06:45 Wonderful.
06:46 She came a long way, because at first she would call me for everything in the beginning.
06:50 I'm like, "Girl, calm down. It ain't that serious."
06:55 But now I think it's just natural.
06:58 So, yeah, it's good.
07:01 It has been difficult being the father.
07:03 I'm a little overprotective.
07:05 So when seeing Armani or either Mariana go through any judgmental situations, it always be a red flag for me,
07:14 because my guard instantly comes up, because I know I have to protect them both.
07:19 But Armani has always kept composure and held her head up high and did what she's supposed to do.
07:25 Okay, let me see you.
07:27 Did your mom kind of role model that kind of attitude for you?
07:31 Yes, my mama had role modeled me to look for the good, not the bad.
07:35 She was just right there every step of the journey.
07:38 She was the biggest support.
07:40 By sharing my story with the world, I hope that the world will see me as regular as they can,
07:46 as far as me being a mom and me being a woman.
07:48 What I want to show is most kids my age should not be scared to come out of what they want to be or who they want to be.
07:56 Keep their head up, no matter what's going on or the comments that they get.
08:00 Just keep it pushing.
08:02 I know the energy that I hold. I know the woman that I am. I know the mom that I am.
08:05 So I want that for my daughter.
08:07 I just really want my kid to be successful, to be able to stand on her own two feet in the world
08:11 and be very independent and secure with who she is as a person.
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