Models Valentina Sampaio and Alex Consani walked the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in New York on Tuesday, becoming the first transgender women to walk in the iconic fashion show.
Sampaio shared a video of herself walking in the show on Wednesday – sporting shimmering black lingerie, gigantic black bows tied in the back and a teased lioness hairstyle – to her more than 400,000 followers on Instagram, thanking the brand for having “realized a long-held dream”. come true.”
“The Victoria’s Secret family showed the world that being trans is just as exceptional and beautiful as anyone else on that runway,” the 27-year-old Brazilian wrote. “Inclusion is crucial to the world we are building, and I am honored to walk with pride, love and with the hope of inspiring the next generation. »
This is the second time Sampaio has made history with Victoria’s Secret. In 2019, she became the first trans model to feature in an ad campaign with the brand. The following year, Sampaio made history by becoming the first trans person to pose for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. “I’m one of the few trans people here today, which I’m really grateful for, and I’m happy. that I can be here and represent my community,” Consani, 21, told TODAY.com backstage before the show began. “Also, just being able to feel confident, that’s something that Victoria’s Secret really embodies and I’m really grateful to be able to do that today.”
Consani, a California native, amassed more than 3.3 million followers on TikTok after going viral on the app in 2020 during the pandemic. She has since walked shows for several designer clothing brands, including Burberry, Chloé and Roberto Cavalli, and appeared in the recent music video for pop sensation Charlie XCX’s hit song, “360.” On the catwalk, Consani was dressed in gray satin. underwear, angular wings and his signature bleached eyebrows.
“Little me is screaming, I can’t even say anything other than thank you,” she wrote, alongside a series of photos she shared of her runway look on Instagram.
Sampaio and Consani’s participation in the show, which first took place in 1995, follows years of criticism that the lingerie brand excluded plus-size women, trans people and people of color. Ed Razek, former marketing director for Victoria’s Secret’s parent company L Brands, sparked a backlash in 2018 after saying he didn’t think the brand should include “transsexuals” in its runway show. The controversies led the brand to cancel its show in 2019, leading to a six-year hiatus.
This year’s show, broadcast on Amazon Live and Amazon Video, also featured some of the most well-known “Angels” in Victoria’s Secret history, including Gigi and Bella Hadid, Adriana Lima and Tyra Banks, as well as a performance by Cher.
