Transgender people have always faced discrimination at every step in their lives. Some are lucky to have been accepted in the society while some are still treated with contempt.
Is it really fair to
them?
Is it really fair to
put labels on them?
Nothing would prove
that it is.
We usually come
across the incidents of people bullying, disrespecting and ignoring them. But
there is not much that we do. They keep on fighting for themselves to be
treated equally and respectfully. It is our society that has made it difficult
for them to live a normal life.
Though there are many
cases of discrimination against the transgender population, there are some who
are bouncing back and inspiring hundreds and thousands of their community to
speak up and stand for themselves. They are playing a huge role in empowering
their community.
We can see various
examples of transgender models who have stepped up to bring a positive change
for a greater good. They are constantly fighting and struggling to make the
modelling industry inclusive.
Some of the popular
ones are-
Hunter Schafer
Hunter’s career began
at the age of 18 when she signed an Elite Model Management. She has walked
runways for Dior, Miu Miu, and Helmut Lang. From there her journey started off
and she got a big break in one of the HBO’s hit series ‘Euphoria’. She was
casted opposite Zendaya.
Leyna Bloom
Leyna Bloom began her
career in 2014, in same year when she came out as trans. She got featured on
the cover of Candy Magazine in 2014. In 2017 she walked in New York Fashion
Week for the first time and it was the first time when the show welcomed such
diversity and inclusivity. She has become the first trans women of color to be
featured in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
Valentina Sampaio
She is the first
transgender model of Victoria Secret. She is the first open transgender model
who made it to the cover of Vogue Paris in 2017 and has also appeared on the
covers of Brazilian Vogue and German Vogue. She believes that fashion industry
is a strong instrument to promote diversity.
Nathan Westling
Nathan is the most
high-profiled transgender male model in the fashion industry. Nathan started
his career in 2015. He was transitioned in 2019 and before that he had worked
with big brands like Versace, Prada, Chanel and many others.
Chella Man
He is the first deaf,
transgender model to sign to a major modelling agency. He gained popularity
through YouTube when he came out with gender transitioning and deafness on this
platform. He joined DC’s ‘Titans’ as a deaf super hero in 2019.
Teddy Quinlivan
She was discovered by
Louis Vuitton’s creative director in 2015. She walked runway for Diane Von
Furstenberg and Jeremy Scott. After working for two years in modelling, she
finally came out as a transgender. She was 16 when she transitioned and working
in the fashion industry gave her confidence to come out and she believed that
people wouldn’t treat her differently even after knowing.
Lea T
Lea is the first
transgender woman to become the face of the global beauty campaign, Redken. Her
career took off when she modelled for French Vogue and LOVE magazine. She also
became the face of Givenchy as an open trans woman.
Kenny Ethan Jones
He is the first
transgender man to star in a campaign about menstruation in 2018. He was
featured by Pink Parcel and since then has become a trans activist.
Laith Ashley
Ashley’s career began
when he posted his picture on Instagram in Calvin Klein’s underwear. He
modelled for ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ and also appeared in a Diesel campaign.
Andreja Pejic
She is a
Bosnian-Australian model who was famous for her androgynous look. She has
graced the cover for Elle. She came out in 2014 and since then she has become
the first trans model ever to be profiled by Vogue and the first one to book a
major cosmetic campaign too.
Stories of all these
people have shown that even if they came out, the fashion industry did not just
accept them for who they are but also gave them confidence to build a career
for themselves and become an example for those who are not strong enough to
come out and are struggling with their sexual identities on a daily basis.
They believed in
themselves and did not fear being left out. They made a life for themselves and
have been working hard ever since to maintain that. We all should learn from
such strong personalities and should support them by embracing them in every profession
and field, to bring a positive impact.
Written By - Somya Jain
Edited By - Tushna
Choksey
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