India, May 1 -- Airyn De Niro, veteran actors Robert De Niro and Toukie Smith's daughter, has come out as transgender. This comes a month-and-a-half after the 29-year-old was outed by paparazzi after her "shocking transformation" featuring heeled combat boots and pink braids while visiting her father at a hotel in New York City (US). "There's a difference between being visible and being seen. I've been visible. I don't think I've been seen yet," she told Them in an interview, adding, "(The reports) just sort of reminded me that people really don't know anything about me." Airyn, who was called a "nepo baby" in some of the articles, pushed back on the narrative. The aspiring model and voice actor, who is also studying to be a mental health counsellor, said, "I wasn't brought up having a side part in one of dad's movies or going to business meetings or attending premieres. My dad was very big on us finding our own sort of path... I would want [success] to happen on my own merit." She also credited her parents for keeping her out of the limelight, despite their high profile. "They have told me they wanted me to have as much of a normal childhood as possible," she said. Speaking about internalised body shaming, she added, "I was always told I was too much of something or not enough of something growing up: Too big, not skinny enough. Not Black enough, not white enough. Too feminine, not masculine enough. It was never just, 'You're just right, just the way you are'." Airyn and her twin brother Julian are among the 81-year-old Oscar-winning actor's seven children.htc...