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Alex Consani & Valentina Sampaio made Victoria's Secret Fashion Show history
A new, inclusive era for the long-running lingerie retailer has commenced!
Victoria's Secret is now fully part of the 21st century!
For the first time in its 29 year history, the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show has included not just one, but two trans models, Alex Consani and Valentina Sampaio.
This year's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show (which has been going on since 1995 and airing on TV since 2001, though on ice from 2019-2023) marked a return for the iconic lingerie brand's runway show, which featured 52 models, including the two trans models.
Consani walked the runway while singer Tyla was performing, and Sampaio walked in a segment with the legendary Kate Moss.
"Little me is screaming I can't even say anything other than thank you," Consani wrote in a post on Instagram, celebrating the event.
"This moment is one I will cherish for a lifetime," Sampaio wrote on her own post. "The Victoria’s Secret family has shown the world that being trans is just as exceptional and beautiful as anyone else on that runway. Inclusivity is crucial to the world we’re building, and I’m honored to walk with pride, love, and the hope of inspiring the next generation. Thank you, Victoria’s Secret, for making a long-held dream come true."
Sampaio has worked with Victoria's Secret in the past, becoming the first trans model in history to work for the brand in 2019, when she did a photoshoot for VS Pink.
Consani was a part of the documentary The Victoria's Secret World Tour, which was released last year on Amazon Prime Video.
Back in 2018, Victoria's Secret chief marketing officer Ed Razek said that he didn't think the brand should include trans models in its fashion show.
"If you're asking if we've considered putting a transgender model in the show or looked at putting a plus-size model in the show, we have," Razek said. "Shouldn't we have transsexuals in the show? No. No, I don't think we should. Well, why not? Because the show is a fantasy. It's a 42-minute entertainment special. That's what it is."
Razek left the company in 2019, the same year the brand announced that it would be canceling the annual fashion show.
In 2023, The Victoria's Secret World Tour special aired on Amazon Prime Video, leading to the return of the show this year. The World Tour included trans artist Edun Sodipo, musician Honey Dijon, and models Ceval Omar and Consani.
Mey Rude is a journalist and cultural critic who has been covering queer news for a decade. The transgender, Latina lesbian lives in Los Angeles with her fiancée.
Mey Rude is a journalist and cultural critic who has been covering queer news for a decade. The transgender, Latina lesbian lives in Los Angeles with her fiancée.
