New York (AFP)
The American magazine Sports Illustrated will welcome in the pages of its famous annual issue "Swimsuit Issue" the first transgender model in its history, the Brazilian Valentina Sampaio.
"It means a lot," said the 23-year-old model, who grew up in a fishing family in northern Brazil, on ABC. "Not just for me but for the whole LGBTQ + community".
This issue of "Swimsuit Issue" which presents swimsuit models in heavenly settings is an institution in the United States and beyond, even if its influence has diminished in recent years, in tune with the paper press.
The year of its fiftieth anniversary, in 2014, it sold 785,000 copies.
Despite her young age, Valentina Sampaio already has long experience of modeling and photo shoots.
She notably already made the front page of the French edition of Vogue magazine in March 2017.
In August 2019, she was also hired by Victoria's Secret for an advertising campaign, becoming the first transgender model to represent the famous lingerie brand.
She told ABC that she was previously cast off because she was a transgender person.
Long focused on young white models, Sports Illustrated magazine has opened up over the years to other profiles.
In 1997, he put for the first time a black woman in one, the American Tyra Banks.
He also had female athletes posed, including tennis player Serena Williams or mixed martial arts champion Ronda Rousey.
In 2016, it welcomed for the first time a round woman, the American model Ashley Graham who dresses in size 48.
The issue with Valentina Sampaio will be on newsstands on July 21.
Since 2013 and the launch of the series "Orange is the New Black", the transgender community, hitherto largely invisible, has benefited from a new exhibition, with also another series, "Transparent", or more recently "Pose" .
© 2020 AFP