Victoria's Secret first hired transgender model
Victoria's Secret previously believed that transgender people did not have a place among their “angels," and all transgender models who asked for the honor to present collections of women's underwear were invariably refused this. And now the historical moment has come. The brand decided to change anger to mercy, and the Brazilian Valentina Samayo was invited to become the first transgender model to introduce a new collection of lingerie.
Valentina Sampaio, 22, has already taken part in a photo shoot for the presentation of Victoria's Secret pink lingerie collection.
It’s not the first time for a Brazilian to become a pioneer. She previously became the first trans woman to hit the cover of Vogue in 2017.
Valentina admitted many times that she never became a victim of discrimination. Even her own parents always respected her choice and without condemnation accepted the decision of the boy to become a girl.
The brand’s decision surprised the fashion industry. More recently, marketing director Ed Razek officially announced that trans and plus size models are fundamentally unsuitable for Victoria's Secret.
This is what caused a flurry of criticism of the brand from world celebrities. Against such discrimination, Rihanna rebelled, a boycott of the brand was announced by Kim Kardashian. In London, women of plus-size appearance in one underwear, moreover, not of this brand, came out to protest. And the company's shares due to allegations of sexism fell in the world market in value by 41%. Razek apologized formally and apparently revised his position.
As for the personality of the model, Valentina, born a boy, began to feel strange and uncomfortable at about 8 years of age. The psychologist helped Sampaio understand that inside the little boy is a female essence. Valentina informed her parents about her decision at the age of 12.
