Last week, Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was cancelled for the first time in 24 years. Supermodel Shanina Shaik announced the cancellation in an interview with Australia’s The Daily Telegraph.
The wildly popular VS fashion show has come under fire from social justice activists who criticized the leading women’s lingerie brand for excluding male-to-female transgenders and full-figured women from the runway.
On August 5, Victoria’s Secret confirmed that MTF model Valentina Sampaio, 22, was hired to model for the brand. Sampaio was born a boy in Brazil in 1996.
The news was met by excitement and relief, particularly in the LGBT+ community.
According to Hollywoodlife.com, Sampaio will model for VS PINK’s back-to-campus campaign this month (August). Models in the campaign will showcase lingerie, loungewear, and accessories.
Victoria’s Secret chief marketing officer apologized in an interview with Vogue after saying he didn’t think the show should include MTF transgenders or plus-size models because Victoria’s Secret appeals to male fantasies.
“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,” he told Vogue. “We attempted to do a television special for plus-sizes (in 2000). No one had any interest in it, still don’t,” he said.
According to social media posts, the company chose to cancel this year’s show rather than cave to the pressure to feature transgender or plus-size models on the catwalk.
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Photos by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images, Gotham/GC Images
