Transgender role model hits Milan
VALENTINA Sampaio, the first transgender model to make the cover of French Vogue, will be flying the flag for the LGBT movement at Milan fashion week.
The 22-year-old Brazilian, who appeared on the cover of Elle Brazil in November and has modelled for labels such as Gisela Franck and Rchlo, is in the city to attend casting sessions in the hope of snapping up a place on the catwalk for the world’s top fashion houses.
The shy, green-eyed brunette said in Milan, where the autumn-winter collections go on show from today, she was proud of being a role model for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.
Her dream, she said, would be to model for the likes of Italian icon Giorgio Armani.
Sitting on a bench in the sunshine, her face lights up as she talks of the opportunities fame and fashion could bring her in the fight to combat transgender prejudice.
Sampaio, who began her modelling career in Brazil four years ago before becoming an ambassador for L’Oreal, said landing the coveted cover of Vogue magazine was “important because fashion is a means to stop people speaking about us with prejudice”.
While several US fashion magazines have already featured transgender models, this is a first for France.
“I want to continue fighting for a better world where we are considered normal, she said in her soft voice.
The model, who did not once use the words transsexual, transgender or the acronym LGBT in the interview, said she was tired of those who were not heterosexual being seen as an anomaly.
“Juan is Juan, Maria is Maria and Valentina is Valentina,” she said with a laugh.