Victoria’s Secret is casting its first openly transgender model, Valentina Sampaio, according to the Brazilian model’s agent, less than a year after a company official said it wouldn’t feature transgender models in its fashion shows.
“I confirm she will be featured in the new Pink campaign that will be released in Mid August,” Sampaio’s agent, Erio Zanon, said in an emailed statement to HuffPost on Monday. He said that the brand contacted Sampaio through Instagram in April and then later confirmed her for the VS shoot after a casting.
He added that Sampaio “is very happy for it and she hopes that it shall contribute to break barriers and to make a step to more inclusivity and representation for everybody.”
Victoria’s Secret didn’t immediately return HuffPost’s request for comment.
Outlets first reported the news after Sampio posted a photo on Instagram last week in a white robe tagged “VS Pink” and captioned it “backstage click @vspink.”
Orange Is the New Black” actress and activist Laverne Cox, who is transgender, wrote “wow finally!” in the comments of the photo.
Lais Ribeiro, a Victoria’s Secret Angel, commented clapping hands emojis to the post and later tweeted about the news.
“This make me so happy,” Ribeiro, who is also Brazilian, wrote, adding that Sampaio is the first trans model to work with the brand.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/valentina-sampaio-victorias-secret-transgender-model_n_5d4839f8e4b0ca604e35c126
