An Anthropology of Gender Variance and Trans Experience in Naples. Beauty in Transit

The book recounts the author’s extensive fieldwork among the trans and gender-variant communities in Naples, focusing on the femminiello, a gender variant figure who has found a space within the city’s historically poorest neighborhoods. By exploring their identities and roles within this specific context, the book unveils the broader social, cultural, and historical dynamics that have shaped gender-variant and trans lives in the city over time. The analysis delves into the changing meanings of the body, tracing how these interpretations have modified over time intersecting with collective ideals of beauty, identity, and self-presentation in contemporary society. The book highlights the ways in which trans and gender-variant individuals deal with social expectations, resist marginalization, and contribute to the rich cultural fabric of Naples.