Trans Models Rule
The brands that adore these gorgeous men and women
Being outed as transgender was once enough to end a career in modeling. Just research the stories of early transgendered models like April Ashley and Tracey Norman. However, things are obviously much different now, as several brands and magazines are actively seeking out proudly open trans models.
Most recently and notably, Alexander McQueen’s spring 2020 collection was captured in a portrait series, shot by photographer Ethan James Green, exclusively featuring transgender models Dara, Torraine Futurum, and Marcs Goldberg. With his latest portrait series, Green captured the models bringing life to McQueen’s latest collection, a true fashion challenge given the plethora of dramatic sleeves and tattered fabric. Mostly in black and white, but with some shot in saturated color, Green’s photos prove that, with fashion and models alike, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Either you can make the garments look good, or you can’t, regardless of your gender identity.
Let’s take a look at some of today’s most wave-making transgender models.
Lauren Foster
While many first became acquainted with Lauren Foster on Bravo’s Real Housewives of Miami, her modeling career before that was nothing short of groundbreaking. Having fully transitioned at just 18 years old, she soon began gaining momentum as a full-time fashion model. She worked extensively throughout Europe and North & South America, and was featured in a six-page spread in Vogue Mexico in the early 80s. Foster initially chose to live stealth (a term referring to a person who passes as their desired gender) until a rival model outed her to the National Enquirer. Nonetheless, the fearless Foster pressed on. She recently became the first trans woman to be honored by Variety magazine as a Woman of Empowerment, and she’s currently the Director of the LGBTQ Clinic at the University of Miami. Be sure to check out the website she launched in 2015, justanothergirl.org, which is, according to Foster, “making life ordinary for someone extraordinary.” Extraordinary, indeed.
Andrea Pejic
You’ve heard this name before. Having started her career almost a decade ago after being scouted at the McDonalds where she worked, Andrea Pejic began modeling as an androgynous male model (Anrej Pejic). Andrea had reassignment surgery in 2013, despite warnings that it could jeopardize her modeling career. She even recalled one agent telling her that it would be better to be androgynous than a “tranny.” Not only is she still a wildly successful model, having walked both the male and female runways for Prada and Jean-Paul Gaultier, but she’s also crossed over into acting. She most recently played Claire Foy’s love interest in The Girl in the Spider’s Web.
Krow Kian
In October 2018, then 23-year-old Krow Kian opened Louis Vuitton’s Spring/Summer show at the Louvre, and six months later, Kian was back to close the entire women’s Fall/Winter season. The big news, though? Kian is a transgender man – the first ever on a womenswear catwalk. The shows were even captured in the final scenes of Krow’s Transformation, a 90-minute documentary that opened London’s Raindance Film Festival in September of 2019. Since then, Krow has walked for Balmain, Alexander McQueen, and Proenza Schouler, and was the first trans male model to grace the cover of L’Uomo Vogue in its 50-year history.
Casil McArthur
In late 2015, no longer able to stand modeling as a female and unable to find examples of trans male fashion models anywhere, Casil McArthur turned to testosterone. He initially worried that his career would falter, but recently, the content hub Mic rated McArthur as one of the top trans male models in the industry. His first big moment came in 2015 when his manager sent him to meet with Interview magazine after the publication asked for a meeting with an exciting new model. From there, McArthur’s career took off like a rocket. He’s since landed campaigns for Kenneth Cole and walked the runways for the likes of Coach and Marc Jacobs.
Valentina Sampaio
Born as Valentino in a small fishing village in northeastern Brazil, Valentina Sampaio began her fashion career in November of 2016, when she walked her first runway show at Sao Paulo Fashion Week. Soon after, L’Oréal featured Sampaio in a short film which they released on International Women’s Day, and they later made her one of the company’s brand ambassadors. She gained international attention in February 2017 after appearing on the cover of Vogue Paris, becoming the first transgender model to do so. She went on to work with brands like Dior and Moschino, but in 2018, she was famously cut from the casting of that year’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show after Chief Marketing Officer Ed Razek commented that “transsexuals” shouldn’t be featured in the show. Following a major (and much deserved) backlash, Sampaio became the first transgender Victoria’s Secret Angel.
Isis King
After becoming the breakout star on Cycle 11 of America’s Next Top Model as the show’s first transgender contestant (despite the fact that she had been strutting down runways for seven years prior to this), Isis King went on to become the first transgender model for American Apparel. King also broke into acting, with roles on The Bold and the Beautiful, Shameless, Netflix’s When They See Us, and Whoopi Goldberg’s docuseries Strut, just to name a few.
Laith Ashley
Laith Ashley is many things: model, actor, activist, singer-songwriter. His career as a model (have you seen his underwear ads? Drool.) has seen him everywhere from campaigns for Barney’s and Calvin Klein to appearances in British GQ, Vogue France, and Out magazine. He officially came out as trans in 2013, and has since inspired millions with his body-positive messages and music. He also appeared on Strut alongside Isis King. His adopted name, Laith, is the Arabic word for “lion,” a fitting moniker for someone we can expect to keep roaring for years to come.
