Monday, August 02, 2010

Meet Lea T, Another Out Trans Model

Trans models aren't unique to the fashion world. Ask Caroline Cossey, Lauren Foster, Teri Toye, Jenny Hiloudaki and Tracy Africa Norman.

Tracy was doing her modeling thang back in the 70's but wasn't getting the news coverage as a trans pioneer.

Isis King has the looks and potential to get to that level if she's only given the opportunity to walk on New York runways. But even cis African American women have trouble cracking the vanilla ranks of the runways, and I'm willing to bet that next month's fashion shows in New York and elsewhere will see disproportionate numbers of Eastern European glamazons on the catwalks.

Now comes word that Givenchy has a trans model in their fall campaign and the media is all over it.

But Brazilian model Lea is just part of a long line of glamorous trans women who have been fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right moment in time.

28 year old Lea happens to be the personal assistant for Givenchy's creative director Riccardo Tisci, and modeled at Givenchy's haute couture show.

Requests for her shot through the roof and she's about to get her opportunity at becoming a trailblazer. She'll have the choice of either making it to supermodel status like fellow Brazilian Gisele Bundchen or not because she's studying veterinary medicine in Milan.

Whatever Lea decides, her opportunity to do so will come under the unblinking eyes of media scrutiny.

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