First Trans Victoria's Secret Model Speaks Out

News broke recently that Victoria’s Secret finally hired their first trans model ever, and now she’s speaking up about her new gig.

The company was ripped into by supporters of the trans community last year when chief marketing officer Ed Razek told Vogue that there was no place for trans women in their runway shows.

“Shouldn’t you have transsexuals in the show?” he recalled people asking. “No. No, I don’t think we should. Well, why not? Because the show is a fantasy.”

Razek ultimately offered a thin apology, the CEO, Jan Singer, resigned, and rumors swirled that the 2019 runway show wouldn’t be gracing our televisions, but the company still employed no trans models.

We finally heard earlier this month that that had changed. Victoria’s Secret hired their first trans model, Valentina Sampaio, to work on their VS Pink line.

“This represents a victory for society, not just the trans community but for all people who are currently underrepresented in fashion,” Sampaio told Elle this week.

“We are experiencing a moment, an evolution, and it is a positive one. Brands are finally learning and catching up to the importance of inclusivity and diversity.”

A cynical mind might say that VS is trying to do damage control after the bad press they received for Razek’s anti-trans comments. And let’s be realistic — that’s probably true. But it can also be true that Sampaio deserves this shot, and that a major brand hiring trans models, even for a selfish reason, can help with visibility and inclusion.

“The world and the society are changing super fast, so I think even [the] fashion industry must follow these changes in order to satisfy the new customers demands,” Sampaio said.