Is it Victoria's secret or Victor's secret? Or perhaps Victoria's secret is that she's a man?
The popular lingerie company has hired their first transgender model, Valentina Sampaio of Brazil.
Fox News reports, "Victoria's Secret has reportedly hired its first-ever transgender model — less than a year after the lingerie company came under fire after an executive made remarks about transgender people walking in its annual fashion show."
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0oDsqnC2am/
Speculation as to Sampaio's inclusion among the Victoria's Secret roster began when the transgender model posted a photo of himself at a shoot with "VS Pink" on Instagram. Shortly thereafter, the Brazilian model Lais Ribeiro tweeted that she was "so happy" that Sampaio experienced his first photoshoot with Victoria's Secret.
The inclusion of Sampaio comes months after L. Brands' (parent company of Victoria's Secret) Chief Marketing Officer Ed Razek sparked the ire of social justice leftists when he told Vogue that little interest exists for plus-size and trans models on the runway.
"I think we address the way the market is shifting on a constant basis. 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 stated.
"We invented the plus-size model show in what was our sister division, Lane Bryant," he added, "Lane Bryant still sells plus-size lingerie, but it sells a specific range, just like every specialty retailer in the world sells a range of clothing. As do we."
"We market to who we sell to, and we don't market to the whole world," Razek continued, "We attempted to do a television special for plus-sizes [in 2000]. No one had any interest in it, still don't."
It is surprising to me that a brand marketed towards women is now endorsing a male model, who dresses as a women. Next thing you know, tampon companies will start using men for their ads as well.
