Models Valentina Sampaio and Alex Consani strutted down the runway at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in New York City on Tuesday, becoming the first transgender women to walk in the iconic fashion show.
Sampaio shared a video of herself walking in the show — sporting shimmering black lingerie, gigantic black bows tied to her back and a lioness teased hairdo — to her more than 400,000 Instagram followers on Wednesday, thanking the brand for “making a long-held dream come true.”
“The Victoria’s Secret family has shown the world that being trans is just as exceptional and beautiful as anyone else on that runway,” the 27-year-old Brazilian wrote. “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.”
This is Sampaio’s second time making history with Victoria’s Secret. In 2019, she became the first trans model to be featured in an ad campaign with the brand. The following year, Sampaio made history when she became the first out trans person to model for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.
“I’m one of a few trans people here today, which I’m really grateful for, and I’m happy that I get to 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 that I get to be doing today.”
Consani, who is originally from California, amassed more than 3.3 million followers on TikTok after going viral on the app in 2020 during the pandemic. She has since walked in shows for several designer clothing brands — including Burberry, Chloe and Roberto Cavalli — and has appeared in the recent music video for pop sensation Charlie XCX’s hit song “360.”
On the runway, Consani was clad in satin, gray underwear, angular wings and her signature bleached eyebrows.
“Little me is screaming I can’t even say anything other than thank you,” she wrote, coupled with a series of photos she shared of her runway look on Instagram. Sampaio and Consani’s participation in the show, which was first held in 1995, comes after years of criticism that the lingerie brand excluded plus-size women, trans people and people of color.
Ed Razek, a former chief marketing officer for Victoria’s Secret’s parent company, L Brands, prompted backlash in 2018 after saying he did not think the brand should include “transsexuals” in its runway show. The controversies prompted the brand to cancel its show in 2019, which spawned its six-year hiatus.
This year’s show, which was streamed on Amazon Live and Amazon Video, also featured some of the best-known “angels” in Victoria’s Secret history, including Gigi and Bella Hadid, Adriana Lima and Tyra Banks, as well as a performance by Cher.
