Trans Victoria’s Secret model addresses backlash after runway debut
Trans Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show model Valentina Sampaio. (Getty)
Trans Victoria’s Secret model Valentina Sampaio has responded to the online backlash she’s received after making her debut at the brand’s fashion show earlier this week.
The revamped fashion show featured Sampaio, fellow transgender model and TikTok star Alex Consani, in a historic first for the brand.
Speaking to TMZ, it appears that the significance of Sampaio’s inclusion in the show was very clear to the model – who also made history as Victoria’s Secret’s first openly transgender model in 2019.
Sampaio called the moment a “dream come true”.
“It makes me feel seen, accepted, and valued for who I am as a person, as a professional,” she said, applauding the lingerie company for ignoring wider judgement and allow both her and Consani to walk the runway.
“It’s collectively a step forward in celebrating the rights of my community, to live, and work with dignity. We are here. We always have been here, and we always will be here. I’d like to see more brands embrace diversity and representation,” she continued.
In another interview with People Magazine, Sampaio said that being the brand’s first trans models to walk in the historic runway show is something she will “cherish for a lifetime”.
“Today, the Victoria’s Secret family has shown the world that being trans is just as exceptional and beautiful as anyone else on that runway. Inclusivity is crucial to the world we’re building, and I’m honoured to walk with pride, love and the hope of inspiring the next generation,” she added.
The Victoria’s Secret fashion show returned this year in New York after a six-year hiatus, promising more diversity and inclusion than ever before after the brand was plagued by scandals, including a toxic work culture and its chief marketing officer Ed Razek’s comments about trans and plus-sized models.
He told Vogue Magazine that transgender women would not be included because “the show is a fantasy”.
While the show’s inclusion of trans models seems to be a great step forward, transphobic comments have been rife online.
Anti-trans pundit Riley Gaines has even labelled the show a “drag show” for featuring Sampaio and Consani while many of her followers called them “men”.
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