Victoria’s Secret hires first openly transgender model
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While there has yet to be an official statement from the struggling Victoria’s Secret about the status of its annual fashion show — which has already been confirmed to be leaving network television, the lingerie brand is making headlines once again. This time, however, is for an entirely different reason.
Valentina Sampaio to join Victoria's Secret modelling team
Brazilian model Valentina Sampaio, who openly identifies as a transgender woman, recently posted a behind-the-scenes photo from a shoot with the lingerie brand’s sub-brand VS Pink on her Instagram account. CNN later confirmed that Victoria’s Secret officially hired the model for its next campaign, which will launch mid-August.
Sampaio will be the first openly transgender model to work for Victoria’s Secret, which underwent criticism after Ed Razek, the chief marketing officer of the brand’s parent company, made controversial comments in an interview with Vogue about having more diverse models in its annual fashion show.
“No. No, I don’t think we should. Well, why not? Because the show is a fantasy,” Razek said in response to the question of whether or not Victoria’s Secret should have transgender models in its fashion show. Razek later apologized for his comment on the company’s Twitter account.
Photo: Victoria's Secret Facebook