"She is her own greatest masterpiece. She is the most accomplished transsexual model of her generation. But what makes her so special is that she transcends what we believe about sex… and about ourselves."
- Brad Geiger "The Supermodels Of Sex"

"What she has is uniquely hers. Her life, her state of being is all about performance. She is, in fact, her art. She lives in a world where her beauty is crucially important to her identity. It makes her money but it can alienate the same people it attracts. Still, she is not a caricature of a woman as many transsexuals are. She is aware of how to be a woman not just look like one. Her sex appeal, her beauty is palpable but what I found most exciting about her was her gift and her brain. One night over dinner we had a two hour conversation about Betty Friedan. She said she read The Feminine Mystique when she was ten years old! She is an extremely intelligent young woman."
- H. Stahl (artist)

"I have been called beguiling, beautiful, a goddess. I never think of myself in those terms. But I was aware that others did… and still do. Its an unusual and extraordinary feeling, really. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t."
- Raquel Reyes

During her career, Raquel Reyes has had the good fortune to cross paths with some of Europe’s most prolific underground artists. As an erotic artists model she discovered sides of her persona she never knew existed. The digital artists she worked and continues to work with have transformed her time and time again, reinventing her image on a whim. Over 50 original pieces were produced between 2004 and 2008 and sold to private collectors and clubs throughout the world. Her stunning reinterpretation of Warhol superstar Edie Sedgwick in the piece "Chelsea Girl" (shown here) was an provocative homage. Raquel later said, "I remember looking at myself with the make-up and the hair and just thinking, I am Edie! I was a little high on champagne, The Velvet Underground was playing on the stereo. The photographer and artist kept calling me Edie and for an hour I just lost myself. It was quite the undertaking. I have never had to imitate or be someone else before. And her image is so iconic. I had fun with it but it was an odd feeling. In a sense, trying to become someone whose beauty you admired so much, if even for a moment."

It was an extraordinary example of her versatility as a model and her work with the artists proved she had what it took to transcend the stereotypical box most transsexuals were relegated to. Shortly after, Raquel’s vision shifted and she began concentrating primarily on her work with digital artists, catering more to private collectors of the medium than online collectors of nude images. She has been called a muse by many though she admits she is tired of being in front of the camera and longs to pursue other interests. She has said, "When your perceived as someone of great beauty by people, especially artists who want to continue to work with you, be inspired by you, it can become its own kind of trap. A kind of Dorian Gray in reverse. We all get older, long to do other things. But if your lucky, your beauty lasts and the work lasts and of course the images will always be there. Young, beautiful, forever."

In 2005, "Chelsea Girl" was reproduced on stretched canvas and sold to the world famous erotic art gallery The Venus Temple in Amsterdam, where it remains on display today.

-Taken from an interview with Brad Geiger for Adversus. (Flesh - The Online Business Of Beautiful Women ) (All rights reserved to author)