Estelle Asmodelle

Estelle Asmodelle, formerly known as Estelle Maria Croot, is an Australian model, belly dancer, musician, activist, abstract artist and academic. She became Australia's first legally recognised transgender person registered with the Births, Deaths and Marriages Department of New South Wales. In 1986, she was labelled "Australia’s First Sex-Change Pin-up Girl". In 1986 she was said to be the most photographed transgender person in Australia. Asmodelle was a controversial figure in the 1980s and as such her story has also appeared in books as well.
Early life.
At university, she experienced transphobic discrimination from members of the academic staff. For this reason, she left the university to focus on art and music. She became a dancer, believing that dance was the true artistic synthesis of art and music.
Dance career.
After leaving University, Asmodelle worked briefly as an assistant photographer, while attending dance classes at Sydney Dance Company and also with an Authentic Egyptian Dance instructor. Six weeks after starting belly dance classes she gained work as a dancer.
As time passed she worked in many shows both in Australia and Asia. She was typically featured as the variety act for such shows as Esma Duo, Paris by Night, Las Vegas Under Lights and Les Girls. She returned to Australia and worked as a solo belly dancer.
Activism.
During Asmodelle's dance career she travelled to Asian countries and faced many legal difficulties, especially in Singapore where she was detained, because her passport denoted an M (for male). She suffered serious problems with various customs officials and became determined to change the laws in Australia. Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade policy was to deny passports bearing the gender designation F to transgender women who could not demonstrate that they had completed sex reassignment surgery.
Asmodelle continually sent letters and requests to the Attorney's General's Department of the Australian Government and eventually received confirmation that her requests were answered. Others had also been lobbying for changes to the New South Wales government, especially the Attorney-General of N.S.W., for the right to amend birth certificates. Asmodelle was the first person to have her birth certificate amended in this way. Months later, as a result of this action, passport sex designation was allowed to be amended as well. A year later Asmodelle lobbied for anti-discrimination laws to be amended and also for the state hospitals ethics boards to allow research into ectopic pregnancy for sex-change women.
Asmodelle continues to support other trans people who have become public about their transition. In 2015 Estelle offered support Caitlyn Jenner when she came out as trans.
Career.
Asmodelle has been featured in a large number of newspaper and magazine articles, including "Cleo" (May 1987), "People" (Nov 1985 & 1993), "Post" (Dec 1988 Sep 1992), "Penthouse Forum" (1986 & 1991), "New Idea" (March 1986), "She" (July 1996), "New Woman" (June 1992 & 1998), "Naughty Sydney" (Cover – November 1991), "Tomadachi (June 1991), Wellbeing (May 1989 & 1993), "and "Nature & Health" (November 1997).
She made more than 100 radio interviews and dozens of television appearances in Australia and Japan as well, including "Where Are They Now?" (Channel 7), "Sex/Life" (Channel 10 TEN), "Midday Show with Kerri Anne" (Channel 9), "World View" (NHK Japan), "Beat Takeashi" (NHK Japan), "Good Morning Australia" (Channel 10), "Day by Day" (Channel 9), "Vox Populi" (SBS), "A Current Affair" (Channel 10), "Midday Show with Ray Martin" (Channel 9), and "Terry Willisee Tonight" (Channel 9).
Film work.
After the media attention, she garnered considerable publicity in Australia, but decided to live in Japan for a period of four and a half years, where she worked as a model 1988–1992. It was there that she made her film debut, a walk in and walk out part, in a film by Japanese director Yoshimitsu Morita. It was made for the local Japanese market and never made it out of Japan.
On returning to Australia, her next film was "The Enchanted Dance", a documentary film about authentic belly dancing. It went international on video but was not released on DVD.
Filmography.
Previous films:
Modelling.
Earlier on in her modelling career, she became "Australia's First Transsexual Pin-up" by appearing nude in "Australian Playgirl". Unlike the US version of the magazine, the publication featured women and not men, and it was the first time a trans woman had appeared nude in a mainstream magazine in Australia. Estelle Asmodelle was the face of the Supermodel Agency in Australia; she was their spokesman and main model during 1996–2000.
Abstract art.
Asmodelle started painting abstract pieces from early childhood and while at Wollongong University, started creating large canvases. Her first solo exhibition was at Wollongong Regional Art Gallery, (now called the Wollongong City Gallery). During her varied career, Asmodelle continued to paint and exhibit, and while living in Japan also exhibited at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum as part of the UNESCO International Friendship Exhibition in 1991. Asmodelle also started the Tokyo Eki (train station) Exhibition, displaying and selling her work in Shinjuku, Ikebukuro and Tokyo.
Asmodelle was also involved in group shows in Los Angeles, at the Los Angeles Center For Digital Art LACDA. Since returning to Australia, Asmodelle has continued to exhibit in both solo exhibitions in Sydney and country NSW, as well as in group shows, one example is the Redfern Artist Group. Her work has been exhibited in Tokyo, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Sydney and regional NSW. Estelle has had numerous solo shows and participated in over 100 group shows, and her art website details some of her work at 'Abstract Artist'.
In 2010 Asmodelle published her first art book, entitled "Transience".
Asmodelle has continued to paint during her varied career, while she usually gains considerable publicity in all her activities. The Art Blog, ran a piece on her in 2016 about her abstract art. Additionally, she has stated on her profile on Art Finder, that she is to launch another book in 2021 about her abstract art, entitled, "Abstraction". She also has a profile on the Bluethumb art portal She is in the top 10 best selling artists on Bluethumb. Asmodelle is also represented by Art Lovers Australia and is also a top seller through that portal as well.
Career change.
While modelling in Japan, Asmodelle also worked for several large Japanese technology companies as a technical consultant, these companies were: Mitsubishi, Nachi-Fujikoshi, NSK and Nippon Seiko K.K. It was the start of a career change, returning to an academic life. During that time, she developed several new technology patents. Asmodelle's patents in the Croot name, and Estelle's patents in the Asmodelle name:
Upon returning to Australia Asmodelle continued her technical consultant work alongside her modelling and painting. Then in 1998 she formed her own internet company, Ellenet Pty. Ltd. Calling on background in computers. According to media reports, Asmodelle has become something of an internet entrepreneur and continues to build a significant online presence. In 2016 Ellenet Pty. Ltd. was sold to Sandgate Solutions in Australia for an undisclosed sum.
Since 2005 Asmodelle has also been recording composition of electronic music. Many music magazines feature her CDs and often write reviews such as a review in "Evil Sponge". Other publicity for her activity includes "Vents" Magazine and Urban "Mainstream" Magazine.
In 2008 Asmodelle returned to academia, studying at the University of Central Lancashire in the field of astronomy.
Music and writing.
Asmodelle has worked in film career and has also written an autobiography, "Anaesthetic Dream".
To Dec 2016, she has written one book – which is still seeking publication:
She has also written two screenplays, which have not been optioned at this time:
In October 2018, the screenplay "Pleasure Girl" won Best of its category (Script (Science Fiction)) at the 2018 Los Angeles Film and Script Festival
Working as a musician Estelle Asmodelle, simply goes by the name "Asmodelle".
To date, Dec 2016 she has released seven albums, and two new pending releases, most are available at online outlets, while her website also said they were released physically:
In early 2011, Asmodelle was signed to a major music distribution label: "Blue Pie Records" as a featured artist, for worldwide distribution of her albums. but during early 2013 she moved over to Mondotunes distribution.
She is a featured artist on Triple J's "Unearthed" as well. In 2014 she released 5th Album Grooveatropolis, through Mondo Tunes worldwide: "Asmodelle on Mondo Tunes".
In September 2015, Asmodelle became a Bronze Medal Winner, with Grooveatropolis Vol I
Academia.
Asmodelle published several papers with the peer-reviewed "Journal of the Institute of Science and Technology". Between late 2010 to mid 2011 she joined the part-time staff of "Cosmos" as a science writer, in the field of physics/space, and published six articles. The first of were "Neptune's day measured to the second" and "The Milky Way is a galactic cannibal".
"Journal of the Institute of Science and Technology" articles:
"Asian Journal of Physics" articles:
Asmodelle is an active student member of the Institute of Physics in the UK, a full member of the Newcastle Astronomical Society, a student member of the Australasian Society for General Relativity & Gravitation, and runs her own astronomy and cosmology blog, "Relative Cosmos".
During late 2011, as a result of Asmodelle's "Cosmos" magazine articles, several astronomical societies asked her to give presentations on astronomy and cosmology. She has given four presentations each since on areas such as "Cosmology and the role of the General Theory of Relativity", "GAIA: the Dawn of High Precision Micro-Arcsecond Astrometry", and "Water on the Moon". Some of the societies in question are Newcastle Astronomical Society (NAS), Sutherland Astronomical Society and Astronomical Society of New South Wales.
In early 2013 Asmodelle became a Fellow of the Institute of Science and Technology IST. Additionally, in May 2013 the "Express Advocate" published an article about an introduction to cosmology Asmodelle was running at the Central Coast Community College on the Ourimbah campus of Newcastle University, in the Central Coast of NSW.
In June 2012 Asmodelle became a member of the Australasian Society for General Relativity and Gravitation (ASGRG), and in May 2013 also became a member of the International Society on General Relativity and Gravitation (ISGRG). Author John Gribbin has acknowledged her efforts with validating Einstein's original sources. Other authors have cited her work as well.
In 2017, Asmodelle is completed a degree with the University of Central Lancashire through their Study Astronomy portal, with a BSc astronomy [honors]. Asmodelle graduated in 2017 with a 1st class honours. During the 8 years of study, the university has acknowledged her efforts
In January 2018 Asmodelle started a PhD, on a full scholarship, at the Centre for Quantum Computation & Communication Technology, School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Queensland, working in the field of quantum mechanics and relativity.