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Victoria's Secret has reportedly hired its first openly transgender model. Here's everything we know about her.
Victoria's Secret has reportedly hired its first openly transgender model. Here's everything we know about her.
Mary HanburyAug 5, 2019, 18:56 IST
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Getty/ Gotham / Contributor
Victoria's Secret has reportedly hired its first openly transgender model.
Brazilian model Valentina Sampaio recently shared an Instagram photo of herself tagging the Victoria's Secret Pink lingerie line alongside the hashtags "campaign," "vspink," and "diversity."
If true, this would mark an important shift in direction at Victoria's Secret, which has long been accused of lacking inclusivity and diversity in its ad campaigns.
This came to a head last year, after the chief marketing officer of its parent company, L Brands, made controversial comments about featuring transgender and plus-size models in its annual runway show.
Victoria's Secret has reportedly hired its first openly transgender model, and it could signal that the brand is finally listening to some of its most critical customers.
Earlier this week, Brazilian transgender model Valentina Sampaio, shared a photograph of herself on Instagram and tagged the Victoria's Secret Pink brand along with the hashtags: "campaign," "vspink," and "diversity."A day later, she shared a video of herself with the caption: "Never stop dreaming."
Victoria's Secret has not yet confirmed publically whether it has hired Sampaio and a spokesperson for L Brands did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment. But if true, this would mark a significant shift in its strategy.
The brand has long been accused of lacking inclusivity and diversity in its ad campaigns. This came to a head last year after the chief marketing officer of its parent company, L Brands, said that he didn't think its annual fashion show should feature "transsexuals" because the show is a "fantasy."
Now, the company is reportedly "rethinking" and possibly even canceling its fashion show.
Here's everything we know about 22-year-old Sampaio:
If you're a current or former employee of Victoria's Secret and have a story to share, contact this reporter at mhanbury@businessinsider.com or on Signalat +1 (646) 768-4716 using a non-work phone.
She was eight years old when a psychologist identified her as transgender, but it wasn't until she was 12 years old that she started calling herself Valentina.
Sampaio has said in multiple interviews that she wasn't bullied for this as a child. She said that she didn't struggle as her parents (a fisherman and a teacher) along with her schoolmates were always accepting of her decision. They were "proud" and "supportive," she said.
She made her first foray into fashion at the age of 16 when she went to study at a fashion college. It was here that she was discovered by a makeup artist, who signed her up with a São Paulo modeling agency.
In November 2016, she first graced the runway at São Paulo fashion week.
Later that year, L’Oréal produced a short film about her, which was released on International Women’s Day. She then became one of the brand’s ambassadors.
But it wasn't until the spring of 2017 that she made a name for herself globally after becoming the first transgender model to appear on the cover of French Vogue.
The editor-in-chief of Vogue France, Emmanuelle Alt, introduced Sampaio's cover in the March edition, writing: "When she arrived in the studio wearing jeans and a simple t-shirt, Valentina Sampaio, this issue’s cover girl, had beauty striking enough to stun on the cover of Vogue. She is the absolute equal of Gisele, Daria, Edie or Anna. Apart from one small detail: Valentina, the femme fatale, was born a boy."
She continued: "It's a detail one would prefer not to have to mention, a ubiquitous detail in these women's lives that they didn't ask for and a detail one imagines they want to forget. But Valentina is on the cover of Vogue this month, not just for her looks or her sparkling personality, but because despite herself she embodies an age-old, arduous struggle to be recognized and not to be perceived as something Other, a gender exile."
In the summer of 2018, Sampaio was spotted making her way to the casting for the 2018 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. But she wasn't hired.
And to its detriment, sales at Victoria's Secret were slowing at the time and the brand was increasingly accused of losing relevance with shoppers and criticized for its lack of diversity and inclusivity.
This came to a height in November 208 after a controversial interview with its chief marketing officer went viral just weeks before its annual fashion show aired on TV.
L Brands CMO, Ed Razek, said in the interview that he didn't think Victoria's Secret's annual fashion show should feature "transsexuals" because "the show is a fantasy."
His comments sparked an outcry online, and critics called for his resignation.
Three days ago, Sampaio shared a photograph of herself on Instagram, tagging Victoria's Secret's Pink lingerie line with a series of hashtags that said: "#vspink #diversity."
A day later, she shared a video of herself with the caption: "Never stop dreaming."
Sampaio would be the first openly transgender model to work with Victoria's Secret and it's an indication that Victoria's Secret may finally be listening to its customers.
The news is already being celebrated online.
"First transgender to shoot with VS! This makes me so happy!" Victoria's Secret model Lais Ribeiro tweeted.
"Wow finally!" Orange Is The New Black star Laverne Cox commented on Instagram.
