The Queen Issue (v. 17)

XOXOphotography, COCO CALIENTE
Brad Trone
art direction by Darnell Thomas
MALCOLM MORGAN AS COCO CALIENTE | MISS PRIDE | SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO
COCO GIVES US HER INSIGHT ON APPRECIATING WOMANHOOD, WHAT IN-
SPIRES HER STYLE AND WHAT MAKES HER FEEL LIKE A QUEEN.
Let’s start with the understanding that I appreciate
women, like crazy! Women are tough, work hard,
and can balance this with being loving and maternal.
Every aspect of a woman is beautiful; the
physical, the spiritual and the emotional. I try to
embody all of these traits within CoCo to give the
best impersonation of a woman that I can. Womanhood
can be fierce at times, and after countless
hours of becoming one, I walk away with even
more respect for the women in my life. As CoCo,
I try to combine all the entities that make me the
strong woman that straddles the fence of femininity
and masculinity. One of my friends, Donna Bella,
calls me mamma! She doesn’t know it, but every
time she does, it tugs my heartstrings and makes
aspire to one day be as strong as a woman. One
of my biggest goals is to become a parent to many
children. I want to provide for them the love and
happiness that my parents failed to provide for me.
I have had the honor of watching many queens
around me, and have learned from all of them,
how to be a great mother!
What makes me feel like a queen is respect, love,
and power. You must respect my body, my presence,
my decisions. I’ll respect yours and do not
mind letting you know when you are not respecting
mine. Love is another thing that makes me feel
like a queen. I love easily, and I love hard, but I
can also deliver some tough love when it is needed.
Knowing what type of love is needed for each
occasion makes me feel like a queen when I’m a
queen. Power is the final thing that makes me feel
like a queen. If I were to be a real queen reigning
over a kingdom, I would be a benevolent queen.
But as for now, I am a queen the reins within my
own body, my temple, my kingdom. The power I
admire is one of kindness, being in control of my
emotions and commanding respect with my presence.
Power does not mean that I need money, that
I need the biggest house and all the world’s richest.
Power to me is more internal; it is a vibe, an energy
that emanates from within and draws others to me