Valentina Sampaio: Victoria Secret hires its first openly transgender model

In a great show of inclusivity and diversity, Brazilian model Valentina Sampaio has been hired by Victoria Secret – the famous lingerie brand. She is the first openly transgender model that the famous women’s beauty products brand.

Sampaio posted a behind-the-scenes picture of a Victoria Secret shoot for the brand’s Pink line on her Instagram account with the hashtags ‘#vspink’ and ‘#diversity.’ Her agent has also confirmed that she has been hired by the famous fashion brand.

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The news has also been confirmed by Lais Ribeiro, another Victoria Secret model from Brazil. She tweeted a photo of Sampaio with a comment that said “first transgender to shoot with Vs.”

The 22-year-old Sampaio is a renowned model already and has been making waves on the modelling scene since sometime now. She was also the first transgender model to be featured on Vogue magazine when she posed for the magazine in February 2017.

This is a welcome move from the brand that has long been mired in controversies for picking thin and tall models only and stereotyping the definition of beauty. It has been heavily criticized for the lack of diversity and inclusivity in hiring models.