It looks like Victoria's Secret just took a major step forward for trans visibility.
According to a report from CNN Style, the longstanding lingerie company just hired openly transgender model Valentina Sampaio as one of the faces of an upcoming campaign for the brand's PINK line.
The 22-year-old Brazillian model was teasing the news on her Instagram as early as last week, mentioning the Victoria's Secret PINK line in a photo captioned "Backstage click." News of Valentina's hire comes on the heels of controversy from last year, when a Victoria's Secret exec made comments about how the underwear brand would never hire a trans model for its annual, televised fashion show.
"If you’re asking if we’ve considered putting a transgender model in the show or looked at putting a plus-size model in the show, we have," Ed Razek, VS's then chief marketing officer said in an interview with Vogue. "Shouldn’t you have transsexuals in the show? No. No, I don’t think we should. Well, why not? Because the show is a fantasy."
Razek's incredibly insensitive remarks immediately (and rightfully) sparked outrage, causing celebrities like Halsey to weigh in and even the resignation of Victoria's Secret's CEO Jan Singer.
While the brand has had an incredibly messy past, it's nice to see Victoria's Secret make amends for it by actually hiring trans models and making sure trans women are included in their work.
