Brazilian supermodel and actress Valentina Sampaio is the new face of Victoria’s Secret Pink, making her the first transgender model to be hired by the world-famous lingerie brand.
The 22-year-old posted the news to her Instagram account on Friday, August 2, posing in a fluffy white robe with the caption, “Backstage click @vspink 💕💕” The model also included the hashtags, “#new,” “#vspink,” “#campaign,” “#representatividade” and “#diversity.”
According to a statement made by the brand via Allure, the model will be featured in the back-to-campus campaign for Victoria’s Secret Pink — which should be here really soon! In a second Instagram post, the model shared her excitement about the new gig, writing “Never stop dreaming genteee 💋💋💋.”
This news comes at an imperative time for the brand, after Victoria’s Secret’s chief marketing officer Ed Razek made controversial comments in an interview with Vogue last year about trans women walking in the brand’s annual fashion show. In an effort to rebrand the show and what it stands for, this year’s event was reportedly cancelled.
It’s important to note that this isn’t Sampaio’s first time making history! Sampaio was also the first transgender woman to pose on the cover of Vogue Paris in 2017. She’s also starred on the covers of Vogue Brazil and Vogue Germany — and in a campaign for L’Oréal Paris for International Women’s Day in 2016.
Victoria’s Secret model Lais Ribeiro took to Twitter to share her excitement for Sampaio. “First transgender to shoot with Vs! This makes me so happy!” she wrote in a Tweet. Actress Laverne Cox also commented on Sampaio’s Instagram announcement, “Wow finally!”
