Teddy Quinlivan Lands A Chanel Campaign!

"My whole life has been a fight. From being bullied at school consistently, kids threatening to kill me and going into graphic detail how they were going to do it, my own father beating me and calling me a f****t, to receiving industry blowback after speaking publicly about being sexually assaulted on the job... This was a victory that made all of that s*** worth it."-Teddy Quinlivan

Another day, another instance of trans folks winning despite the hostile forces arrayed against us. 

Meet 25 year old model Teddy Quinlivan.   She has walked runways for Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Gucci before coming out as trans in 2017. 

Like many folks who have lived non disclosed trans lives (AKA stealth) before coming out, the Boston born Quinlivan thought her career might be over after doing so, but as Geena Rocero found out after coming out, it is starting to lead to more groundbreaking opportunities, not less.

She has continued to walk Fashion Week runways, appear on magazine covers like Porter Magazine and L'Officiel, and do beauty campaigns for Redken, Milk Makeup and Maison Margiela Fragrances.

But the one she recently landed is historic and deeply personal for her.   Quinlivan has now become the first openly trans model to be hired by Chanel to helm a beauty campaign.

I had walked 2 shows for Chanel while I was living in stealth (stealth meaning I hadn’t made my trans identity public yet) and when I came out I knew I’d stop working with some brands, I thought I’d never work with the iconic house of Chanel ever again," she wrote. "But here I am in Chanel Beauty Advertising. I am the first openly trans person to work for the house of Chanel, and I am deeply humbled and proud to represent my community."

Congratulations Teddy!   It's is not only a huge win for you personally, but one for the trans community as well.   It's just more evidence that coming out as trans doesn't mean the end of your dreams.

Macy's Galleria Pride Fashion Show

Some positive news out of my home state in terms of Macy's Galleria celebrating Pride Month by hosting a fashion show inside the store yesterday from 6-8 PM CDT.

This wasn't just any store fashion show.  The participating models were all local Houston area trans people, and one of the show's organizers and commentators was none other than Jessica Zyrie, who knows a few things about ripping runways.

She was joined in the commentator duties by wardrobe stylist Ashley Kahn as the models showed off in season fashion looks that were inspired by Pride month.   The show also included a DJ spinning tunes, a photo booth, makeup tutorials and complementary swag.

Note to my critics.   Hey it ain't always about me.  I'm a firm believer in there is room for everyone in this trans community to shine, and I practice what I preach. 

I was good with the fact that I got to see the spotlight shined yesterday on our younger Houston area trans peeps . I also got to watch a positive event for our community in a month we sorely needed it.

Just wish the show had been a little longer, but the people in attendance who saw this first ever event won't forget it along with the customers and employees who were in the store at the time it happened.

And hope it happens again next year.

Payless Filing For Bankruptcy

One of the things I inherited from my mom was a love of fashionable shoes, and while you petite divas would love to be my supermodel level height, it comes with the problem of trying to find those fashion forward shoes in a double digit shoe size.

I wear a size 12, but sometimes I'll go up one size when it's available for comfort.  Many department store shoe departments stop at size 10, or have very few shoes in sizes 11, 12 or 13 where many women are increasingly having to shop as the average women's shoe size gets larger.

Nordstroms is one of those that does carry a nice variety in sizes 11 or 12.   Some brands like Nine West  have them up to size 12, but once again, you have to order them online.   The same is true for DSW and Rack Room that only carry up to size 11, and you have to special order other styles that they carry in a size 12.   Shoe Carnival stores only carry them up to a size 10 or 11.

There are other online outlets like Zappos.com, shoes.com or Long Tall Sally for example, but it's always preferable to see and be able to try a pair of shoes first before you buy them.  Sometimes that shoe color looks great online but when you actually get it may not be exactly be the shade that you're looking for to go with an outfit and sometimes you can't return them if you bought them on sale..

And then there's the cost.   $75 and up, which is another problem when you're low income or on a budget.

Payless has long had the reputation in Trans World of being the 'Trans Woman's best friend' when it comes to finding fashionable shoes, bags and accessories at an easy on our wallet price.  

Its 4400 stores and 22,000 employees in the US and Puerto Rico have been a lifeline for many trans women trying find those nice shoes, flats, boots and pumps to go with a work or dressy outfit or simply for everyday wear.

And when it's BOGO time, I'm going to be buying those shoes I've had my eye on.  One of my current fave pair of Christian Siriano black pointed toe heels I bought during a BOGO sale for $10 and get a lot of compliments when I wear them.

Was saddened to hear that Payless filed yesterday for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and will be closing 400 stores immediately, with another 500 possible.

I have already lost one of my fave Payless locations in downtown Houston right on the METRORail Red Line at the Main Street Square Station when it closed in February.  I noticed that when I went to Louisville on vacation last summer, the downtown Payless on 4th Street I used to find shoes in up to size 13 when I lived there had closed.

So it will be interesting to note which Payless stores in Houston will be shuttered, and I hope they aren't the few locations where I can get my shoes in a 13.

Valentina Sampaio Is Vogue Paris' First Ever Trans Cover Girl

'But only when a transgender person poses on the front cover of a fashion magazine and it is no longer necessary to write an editorial on the subject will we know that the battle is won.-Emmanuelle Alt, French Vogue editor

The French edition of Vogue magazine was founded in 1920, and despite the long list of stunning French trans women like Coccinelle, Marie-Pier Ysser, Marie-Pierre 'Bambi' Pruvot and most recently model Ines-Loan Rau, I was surprised to discover that Vogue Paris has never had a trans woman on the cover of their magazine until now.

The trans woman who has made that breakthrough fashion and French magazine history is Brazilian model Valentina Sampaio.  She recently graced the cover of Elle Brazil, and has starred in an ad campaign for L'oreal Paris.

"This month we are proud to celebrate transgender beauty and how models like Valentina Sampaio, who is posing for her first ever Vogue cover, are changing the face of fashion and deconstructing prejudice."said Vogue Paris on their Instagram account and pic of the historic cover.

The 21 year old Sampaio is also set to rip the runway for Saint Laurent soon, and will be on the March cover of Vogue Paris that hits newsstands on February 23.  It is the first time ever that a trans feminine woman has graced the cover of any French magazine.

The translated French title from the cover reads:  Transgender beauty; How they're shaking up the world.

We most certainly are.  It's also just another day and another historic accomplishment checked off the list for my sisters here in the US and around the world who are part of the long stylish line of trans models.
Vogue Paris editor Emmanuelle Alt said,"Valentina is on the cover of Vogue this month, not just for her looks or her sparkling personality, but because despite herself she embodies an age-old arduous struggle to be recognised and not to be perceived as something Other.”

Alt also said in her editorial that, “Trans people, the ultimate symbol of a rejection of conformity, are icons that Vogue supports and chooses to celebrate."

We transwomen around the world deeply appreciate you Vogue Paris for doing so.

But Alt also recognized that we have a long way to go to get to the point that seeing a trans feminine person on the cover of a fashion magazine becomes a mundane event.

I'm looking forward to speed up the day that we don't even have to find it necessary to say or argue the point that trans is beautiful, and trans women in all shapes, sizes and skin tones are beautiful in many ways.

I'm hoping that day comes along with all my sisters, and I'm here to witness it. 

Plus Size Trans Model Shay Neary Lands A Major Contract!

As Ive pointed out, trans feminine models have a long and proud history in the fashion world.

The long stylish line of trans models goes back to the 60's starting with April Ashley, and over the last few years we've had trans masculine and trans feminine models get attention, major contracts, ad campaigns and strut catwalks and slay photo shoots around the world.

Now we can add a plus size trans model to that stylish line of trans models in 28 year old Shay Neary.

While she's new to the modeling game, she recently made history by becoming the first out plus size trans model to land a major fashion campaign.   Heidi Kan, the founder of the plus size line Coverstory, was actually looking for a plus size trans model to feature in their first collection,

"When Hari Nef was signed by IMG and Caitlyn Jenner graced the cover of Vanity Fair, I knew it was time to promote and feature plus size trans models." said Kan.  

But Kan had no luck finding a plus sized trans model until she met Neary, who had recently been signed by Transmodels.   Kan found her just in time for the release of Coverstory's second collection, and is happy she did so.  Neary is modeling everything in the Coverstory collection from wrap caftans to silk blouses.

Neary transitioned 11 years ago and wants to show the world the complexity and variety of trans feminine bodies.
 

'We all have to be seen.  Not just some of us, not just ones who fit the transgender bill," she told Mic. "Not just the streamlined passable woman, or the plastic Kim (Kardashian) wannabe.  We all have value and integrity  We deserve to be seen in mainstream media...Our lives have purpose."

She not only wants to be working as much as plus size model superstars Ashley Graham and Tess Holliday, she  also wants to push fashion designers to do a better job designing clothes for plus size women.  

She told Revelist that she also wants to be a role model for our trans kids

"I'd love to be a representation for trans youth.   Teach trans kids that they only need to be themselves to succeed.in life.  Confidence and passion will take them the rest of the way.  That being trans doesn't hold them back from being anything they want."

Congrats Shay, and hopefully we'll see you ripping a runway in the near future.

Arisce Wanzer's Making History

The long stylish line of trans models has led the way in breaking ground for our community not only in the modeling world, but at times through their activism on behalf of themselves and this community.

Proud to announce that for the first time in the 111 year history of the iconic Spiegel catalog, a girl like us will grace the cover of it.

Arisce Wanzer, who recently appeared as one of the stars of the reality show Strut, is the model who will be making this inevitable breakthrough.

Congratulations to her, and hope to continue seeing her do her thing in the modeling world.  It also proves once again if given an opportunity to do so, we can don anything and excel at

Trans Models Represent During NYFW 2015

"As a transgender person of color, as an immigrant who grew up poor in a tiny little alley in the Philippines, and here I am in New York City doing the biggest fashion show... for a young trans person to see that, it changes that person's life.. To finally see that it's possible for a young trans person to pursue his or her dream to be the person whoever that you want to be."
--Geena Rocero

Even if that dream is to strut a catwalk during New York Fashion Week

We had a few trans models representing our community during the recently concluded New York Fashion Week, and I couldn't be prouder of all of them that did so and worked hard during that September 12-17 period.   And even better, I'm proud to call some of those amazing people my friends.

It was cool to see Isis King, Geena Rocero, Ines-Loan Rau, Arisce Wanzer and others strutting catwalks in the various shows during NYFW while others were in the audience cheering them on.  
They are heirs to an incredible legacy of trans women from around the world who have been walking fashion runways since April Ashley did so in the early 60's.  
And with Apple Model Management opening up and specifically being focused on trans models, it is a major step forward in ensuring that trans models aren't just the latest fashion trend or flavor of the season, but an accepted part of the fashion world.

That long stylish line of trans models continues into the 21st century, and some have become advocates and leaders in our community when they aren't doing their day job.  

By doing so, they are also doing their part to expand the horizons, serving as possibility models, and slaying stereotypes in addition to continuing the long and proud legacy of trans models.
    

Trans Models, Have A Wonderful Fashion Week!

I've talked about it a few times, and one of the things we girls like us can be proud of is that we do have a long and stylish history of walking the fashion runways of the world.

Now we can add trailblazing leaders to that description for our trans feminine modeling sisters as well.

New York Fashion Week started Thursday and will run until September 17.  It's when the major international fashion houses show off their collections to buyers. the media and the general public, and the New York fashion week is considered one of the Big 4 Shows along with the ones in Paris, London and Milan.

That means there will be hundreds of models also in town working those shows, and some of them will be our trans sisters like Geena Rocero, Andreja Pejic, Arisce Wanzer, Lea T, Isis King, Carmen Carrera,.and Ines Rau just to name a few of them.

There may be a few trans models who hopefully get an opportunity to strut their stuff during a few shows and become household names during this week.

If you are walking the NYC catwalks during Fashion Week, just wanted to send some love your way.

Congrats ladies, and hope you have a wonderful and successful time walking the runways during this busy and amazing weeks in which fashion takes center stage in the Big Apple..



TransGriot Note: Photos are of Geena Rocero, Ines Rau and Isis King.

Trans Women Are Representin' During NY Fashion Week

It's Fashion Week in New York.   It's the twice yearly time when for a week tents pop up in Bryant Park to host the fashion shows in which designers show off their fall collections (during the spring shows) and Spring 2015 collections.

Models in the runup to those shows are visiting casting directors with the goal of working to rip the runways for the hottest designers, and fashion magazine editors and the cable channels dishing on fashion news seek to capture it all. 

The same thing is repeated in the other major fashion capitals of London, Paris and Milan.  There are also shows in regional fashion capitals like Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro as well.

There has been a long tradition going back to the early 60's of transfeminine models ripping those runways, and this year is no exception.   

From the groundbreaking Barney's campaign featuring 17 trans models to Ines Rau's steamy shoot with Tyson Beckford followed by a solo Playboy one, it's been an interesting tipping point year for trans models. 

We've had Geena Rocero, Ines Rau and supermodel Andreja Pejic coming out as trans. Carmen Carrera is getting attention for her stated goal of wanting to become the first transgender Victoria's Secret Angel.  Our girl Isis King is still in the game, has designed and shown a collection  and will be walking a few shows herself. 

Designer Ari South we were introduced to courtesy of the Project Runway reality TV show and Arisce Wanzer is another girl like us model starting to get attention . 

Tim Gunn can hate on trans models all he wants, but it has been wonderful to witness in the fashion world something that used to be considered the kiss of death for your modeling career if your trans feminine status was revealed now seeming to be a career booster.

So for all our trans models and transpeeps handling their business during Fashion Week, best of luck to you.  Keep strutting down the path your trans modeling elders blazed for you, and keep representing yourselves and our community to the best of your ability. 

Tim Gunn, Trans Models Have Curves

To borrow the words from my sis Isis King, Et tu, Tim Gunn?

Tim Gunn said this in response to a question concerning the recently unveiled Barney's campaign using a group of trans models.

"I’m conflicted. On one hand, I don’t want to say that because you were a man and now you’re a woman, you can’t be in a women’s fashion show. But I feel like it’s a dicey issue. The fact of the matter is, when you are transgender– if you go, say, male to female– you’re not having your pelvis broken and having it expanded surgically. You still have the anatomical bone structure of a man."

That picture of rising model Ines Rau to the left, who is part of that campaign says otherwise, Tim.


Hell, based on the transphobia I routinely see breaking out on certain gay blogs in their comment threads and the idiotic transphobic comments coming from predominately white gay men, looks like some intensive Trans 101 is warranted.

School is now in session.   

First the basics.   When we trans women undergo HRT, we put on weight and get curves.  Genital surgery comes later if we are in the position that we not only want it, but can afford it.

Second point.  You refer to a transperson with their preferred pronouns, and if you don't know ask.  Andrej Pejic, who you were primarily slamming in your comment, refers to herself as 'she'.   

It may also be a shock for you to know that trans feminine models just didn't pop up in the second decade of the 21st Century   Trans feminine models have been gracing the world's runways since April Ashley first sashayed down them in the early 1960's.  

And she damned sure didn't look like a boy when she was handling her modeling business back in the day.

Neither did the models who followed her such as Amanda Lear, Caroline Cossey, Lauren Foster, Tracy Africa Norman,  Teri Toye, Roberta Close, Carmen Xtravaganza or the current crop of trans models like Isis King, the aforementioned Ines Rau, Arisce Wanzer, Carol Marra, Lea T, Felipa Tavares or Carmen Carrera.   

Trans models have just as much variation in ethnicity, skin tones, heights, and body types as their cis feminine counterparts. 

And are just as beautiful, too.

As Pejic tweeted to you and I emphatically cosign, trans models deserve a fair shot at making it in a vanillacentric skewed fashion world that has long had a problem with diversity.   

And for you Tim Gunn as a gay man, to pull out the discredited 'bone density' trope that has been used far too often to attempt to bar trans women from playing in sports, is reprehensible.   Guess you forgot it wasn't so long ago the fashion world wasn't so accepting of people like yourself.

Trans models have curves and with trans feminine kids transitioning as early as age six, that trend will continue. 

On Set With Arisce

Arisce Wanzer is a girl like us working as a fashion model in New York City.   She's part of the long, proud and stylish line of trans fashion models.  I'm even happier to find out in light of the trying month that can't recede in the 2013 rear view mirror fast enough that she's African-American.

Buzzfeed followed her to find out what a day on the job is like for her.  It also has a nice interview in which she talks about her life and her work.

The Problem With Numéro's African Queen

Past time to share another one of Renee's Womanist Musings articles with you 
 
Yes we have yet another magazine tying to justify its inclusion of Blackface.

 

The above image is of the ever so White, blond-haired, blue-eyed model Ondria Hardin. The image appeared in Numéro magazine n°141 of March 2013 and was photographed by Sebastian Kim.  I don't know how any editor could possibly look at the image and declare it fit to print, given the continual outrage which occurs each time any magazine has chosen to engage in Blackface.  This isn't a case of artistic license but the absolute perpetuation of White supremacy.  

Numéro has since issued the following apology:

Some people have declared that they have been offended by the publication in Numéro magazine n°141 of March 2013, of an editorial realized by the photographer Sebastian Kim called “African Queen”, featuring the American model Ondria Hardin posing as an “African queen”, her skin painted in black.

The artistic statement of the photographer Sebastian Kim, author of this editorial, is in line with his previous photographic creations, which insist on the melting pot and the mix of cultures, the exact opposite of any skin color based discrimination. Numéro has always supported the artistic freedom of the talented photographers who work with the magazine to illustrate its pages, and has not took part in the creation process of this editorial.

For its part, Numéro Magazine, which has the utmost respect for this photographer’s creative work, firmly excludes that the latest may have had, at any moment, the intention to hurt readers’ sensitivity, whatever their origin.

Numéro Magazine considers that it has regularly demonstrated its deep attachment to the promotion of different skin-colored models. For instance, the next issue of Numéro for Man on sale on 15th march has the black model Fernando Cabral on the cover page, and the current Russian edition’s cover of our magazine features the black model Naomi Campbell on its cover. This demonstrates the completely inappropriate nature of the accusations made against our magazine, deeply committed to the respect for differences, tolerance and more generally to non-discrimination.

Considering the turmoil caused by this publication, the Management of Numéro Magazine would like to apologize to anyone who may have been offended by this editorial. 

Right, so it's not racist to put a person in Blackface no matter what Black people have to say about it, as long as your intention is to show diversity.  Of course, it's absolutely not diverse to show real people of colour, when you can use White people to stand in for them.  Everyone should be able to agree that a racist image is just as good as real representation, after all, they have the future of White supremacy to think about.

It's also shocking that anyone could potentially declare Numéro magazine racist, simply because of one model covered in dark makeup. What's a little Blackface between friends, when you have people like Naomi Campbell on next month's cover?  Just count the Black people. Count them I say. This proves that Numéro isn't at all racist.  Someone should have told Numéro that if we have to be instructed to count Black people that this in itself, is an indicator that there is most definitely a race problem. Racial integration should be seamless, in that people of colour should be easily visible alongside their White counterparts, rather than a few standouts to avoid being labelled racist. Furthermore, using the people of colour associated with the magazine to reject being labelled a racist, is exactly the same deflection of "hey, I have Black friends," and is not only ridiculously unbelievable but racist as well.

At this point, I have become so accustomed and in fact jaded about shitty apologies that this didn't even cause me to bat a single eyelash.  Quite simply, when you engage in something this obviously racist, there is no apology that could possibly make up for it.  The damage has already been done. In the game of bad apologies, Numéro's was pretty horrendous but I have to say that Sebastian Kim was at the very least, equally as bad.

I would like to apologize for any misunderstanding around my recent photos for Numero France. It was never my intention (nor Numero’s) to portray a black woman in this story. Our idea and concept for this fashion shoot was based on 60's characters of Talitha Getty, Verushka and Marissa Berenson with middle eastern and Moroccan fashion inspiration. We at no point attempted to portray an African women by painting her skin black. We wanted a tanned and golden skin to be showcased as part of the beauty aesthetic of this shoot.

It saddens me that people would interpret this as a mockery of race. I believe that the very unfortunate title “African Queen” (which I was not aware of prior to publication) did a lot to further people’s misconceptions about these images. It was certainly never my intention to mock or offend anyone and I wholeheartedly apologize to anyone who was offended.

All right, I'm a good sport and can say that if the photographer was not responsible for the title that does make him possibly a little less of a douchbag than Numéro; however, he still thought it was a good idea to paint a young White woman with dark makeup, in order to have appear as a race to which she doesn't belong.  Does he actually expect a cookie and a round of applause for that?  Even if we remove the label of 'African Queen', the image in and of itself is still patently racist because no White person can ever represent a person of colour in this fashion.  If he wanted a Middle Eastern look, the way to go about it was to use a Middle Eastern person. That seems logical to me.

Ultimately, the intention of the magazine or the photographer is meaningless. Intent is not some magical elixir against harm.  This is especially true when it comes to something as blatant as this. It is not reasonable to suggest that both Numéro and Sebastian Kim had no idea of the furor these images would cause when they were released to the public.  People of colour have repeatedly spoken out about such engagement whenever and wherever it has appeared.  It is far more likely that they hoped to be perceived as edgey, the new hipster code for ironically racist.  Apologizing after the fact, "if people were offended," is not ownership of said offense and does not negate the harm done.  So in short, fashion magazine editors and photographers, just stop doing racist offensive shit because at this point, not only does the public not believe your intent was benign, your apologies suck ass as well.

Congrats On Your Fab Fashion Show, Isis!

What many people don't realize about my multi-talented sis Isis is that she is a fashion designer who creates many of the dresses she wears when she's on the red carpet of some of our community events.

Last week was Fashion Week in New York, and Monday night at the Wix Lounge saw the debut of Isis' Fall 2013 clothing line. 

The people in attendance at 'The Goldest Winter Ever' included Laverne Cox and Janet Mock.  The models walking the runway included some of her castmates from America's Next Top Model wearing her clothing designs that were a hit with the crowd and reporters covering it.

Isis was appreciative of the love and support she received from peers, friends, family members and fans. "I am still in shock and overwhelmed," she said in an interview. "Great turnout, great press, everything looked amazing on the girls. My stylist Hayden pulled amazing pumps for the girls to wear. Their faces were gold like I wanted. The world gets to see my imagination come to life."

Yep, but I said as much back in 2008, so it really shouldn't have been a big surprise

Sis, you have the look, the intelligence and the talent to go all the way. I have no doubts that you will succeed at whatever you choose to do. You also have something else going for you that many people don't have who are trying to enter the fashion industry- a worldwide community of people who love you and wish you nothing but success.

And those people who love you and wish you nothing but success include a certain Texas based blogger.   Congrats on a fabulous show and hope you have many more like it to come at future Fashion Weeks..

Isis Fall 2013 Collection Presentation

Y'all know I'm so bursting at the seams proud of my fashion designing little sis.

Nice segue into what this post is about.   For you peeps in the New York metro area it's Fall Fashion Week 2013.

Isis' main job when she's not lecturing or taking part in discussions on trans issues is as a fashion designer.  Many of the clothes you see her wearing when she's on the runways or taking photos at community events are of her own design.  

With the international fashion world descending on New York for Fashion Week, Isis will be doing a premiere and presentation of her Fashion Collection.

She's entitled it 'The Goldest Winter Ever" and it will be taking place at the Wix Lounge from 6-7:30 PM EST.

Location of the presentation event is the Wix Lounge at  10 West 18th Street in New York, NY between 5th and 6th Streets.  It will be on the second floor level of the club.

Best of luck sis and hope it's one overwhelmingly successful event.

The Long Stylish Line Of Trans Models

Right now trans models are getting more attention and media exposure.   From my homegirl Isis King to Dutch model Valentijn de Hingh to the Brazilian trio of Lea T, Felipa Tavares and Carol Marra, our transisters are not only doing it for themselves and getting their turns in the spotlight, so are gender blenders such as Serbian born Australian model Andrej Pejic and Israel's Stav Strashko.

But the history of trans models sashaying down the world's catwalks actually goes back to the 60's starting with Great Britain's April Ashley.

Ashley not long after her SRS in Casablanca on May 12,1960 and her subsequent return to England became a successful fashion model.  She appeared in Vogue magazine and also garnered a small role in the Bing Crosby and Bob Hope movie The Road To Hong Kong.

But unfortunately the transition protocols of the time period advised transwomen to never let anyone know  their trans status, and that left them being vulnerable to being outed.  In 1961 Ashley was outed by a so-called friend who sold her story to a British tabloid.   In the resulting media storm that followed her film credit in that movie was dropped and her modeling career was affected.

That pattern would plague the early pioneering trans models and serve as a major incentive for them to maintain stealth status in order to avoid Ashley's fate.

France's Amanda Lear was another model of the time who has vehemently denied she was trans. 

In 1965 Lear was studying art and was spotted by Catherine Harlé, the head of a modelling agency and offered a contract. 

Seeing this as a way to finance her art studies Lear accepted it and her first modelling assignment was walking for rising star Paco Rabanne.  Harlé had predicted Lear's looks would be in demand and she was on target with her prescient assessment. 

Soon after her debut walking Rabanne's show Lear was photographed by Helmut Newton, Charles Paul Wilp and Antoine Giacomoni for magazines like Elle, Marie France and Vogue. She modelled for fashion designers including Yves Saint Laurent and Coco Chanel in Paris and Mary Quant, Ossie Clark and Antony Price in London.

Lear eventually dropped out of art school to model full-time and become a fixture London's swinging sixties nightlife, hanging out with her fellow model Twiggy, the Beatles, and Spanish painter Salvador Dali.     

But the rumors soon started flying about Lear being a transwoman, and her status as a girl like us was alleged by none other than April Ashley.   Ashley claimed that she worked with Lear at the famed Le Carousel trans cabaret in Paris, which Lear denies.  The conflicting stories about where Lear was born and her year of birth have led people to conclude Ashley is correct. 

It would take us until the 70's before the next trans model appeared and once again she was from Great Britain.  

Caroline Cossey burst into international consciousness under her stage name Tula.  Her modeling career included appearances in Australian Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, extensive glamor modeling work, an appearance as a Page Three Girl in the British tabloid The Sun, and  a 1981 one in Playboy.

In 1978 she received a scare after winning a place on the British game show 3-2-1.  A tabloid journalist contacted Cossey and informed her he'd discovered she was trans and intended to write about it.  Other British journalists attempted to interview her family members.  She dropped out of the television show and for a period tried to keep a lower public profile by accepting smaller modeling assignments. 

Not long after her appearance as a extra in the 1981 James Bond movie For Your Eyes Only, the tabloid story she feared would out her dropped in the News of the World.   She responded to it by continuing her modeling career, appearing in The Power Station's "Some Like It Hot" video, Playboy again in September 1991, print ads, writing two autobiographical books and engaging in activism on behalf of the trans community and herself.

Ballroom legend Tracy Africa Norman was also quietly beginning her modeling career about the time that Cossey was taking the world by storm. 

Norman resembled the hot African-American model of the time period in Beverly Johnson, and from the 70's through the 80's she not only walked the runways of New York and Paris, she was represented by the third largest modeling agency in New York. 

Norman had major commercial contracts with Clairol, Ultra Sheen and Avon Cosmetics in addition to doing five ESSENCE magazine shoots

She was working on her sixth ESSENCE magazine cover, a booking for the magazine's holiday issue when a shady character from her old neighborhood who happened to be on that set recognized her and outed her to ESSENCE magazine editor Susan L. Taylor 

In the wake of that outing Norman moved to Paris and did runway work there until moving back to New York and becoming an iconic fixture in the New York balloom community.  

In the 80's we have several to talk about including the first open trans model.

South African born model Lauren Foster was born on December 4, 1957.  She grew up in Durban and realizing her gender issues at age 9, transitioned as a teen and adopted the name Lauren Shipton in 1974.

After having SRS she left Durban and began working as a model in Johannesburg and Paris.  

Her big break came when she was hired by Vogue magazine in 1980 to do a six page fashion editorial and her career took off after that.  

It was temporarily derailed by a model she'd worked with in Paris who sold her story to the tabloid SCOPE after Foster was disqualified from competing in the Miss South Africa pageant..  

As was the infuriating pattern during those days, she was hounded by the press and her career suffered until another trans model came on the New York fashion horizon in Teri Toye.  Foster's career was revived and lasted until 1988.

Lauren is currently working on her autobiography Danse Sauvage and you can see her on this season's episodes of the reality TV show The Real Housewives of Miami

Teri Toye, who I mentioned while discussing Lauren Foster, was the first open trans model.     

Teri originally traveled to New York City from Iowa to become a fashion designer and was enrolled as a student at the famed Parsons School of Design in 1984.   She transitioned while there and became a fixture of New York's eclectic nightlife scene. 

After a chance meeting with designer Stephen Sprouse, Teri opened his runway show and became an instant modeling sensation in New York and Paris.

Toye eventually walked the runways for Jean Paul Gaultier, Comme des Garçons, and Chanel, and posed on the pages of German Vogue. She worked with supermodel Janice Dickinson, was represented by the major modeling agencies Click Models in New York and City in Paris, was considered as a muse by photographers Steven Meisel and Nan Goldin and designer David Armstrong.  Her good looks also kept her consistently in demand.

But as quickly as Teri's modeling star rose, she disappeared from the fashion world and returned to Des Moines, IA   

Meanwhile as Teri Toye was getting attention, Roberta Close was breaking barriers in Brazil.   She began her modeling and film career at age 17  She appeared in a popular Brazilian soap opera and print ads, was the first trans woman to appear on the cover of Brazilian Playboy (while preoperative), and hosted a late night talk show in her homeland. 

She eventually had SRS in Britain in 1989, appeared in a post-operative photo spread in the Brazilian mens magazine Sexy and was voted the 'Most Beautiful Woman In Brazil'. 

There's also the interesting story of Barbara Diop.  She is a Senegalese model who was working in Italy and South Africa, appeared in Italian Vogue and who was unfortunately outed during the 2003 Cricket World Cup tournament that was hosted in South Africa.

Diop has a look that reminds me of supermodel Alek Wek and during the Olympic style parade of nations they used during the opening ceremony for it in Cape Town to kick off the multi week competition,  Diop was the only African model hired to hold the national placards as the team from Zimbabwe marched into the stadium behind her

Six days into the competition the rumors started flying that Diop was trans. .She initially denied it, but the international media sharks began to circle and kept investigating to the point where Diop eventually admitted her trans status. It trigged outrage from homobigot Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe who threatened to yank his team out of the competition.  Zimbabwe's sorry performance in it took care of that for him before he could follow through on his bombastic rhetoric.

But unfortunately we haven't heard much about Barbara Diop's life post Cricket World Cup.   She is alleged to have undergone SRS in the wake of that event and is presumed to still have a modeling career, but that has been unconfirmed for now.   My inquiring mind would sure like to know what happened to her.  

Harisu in South Korea garnered international attention at the dawn of the 21st century.  She was born in Seoul on February 17, 1975, transitioned as a teen, had SRS, studied and lived in Japan for several years before returning to South Korea in 2000   


After being featured in a 2001 commercial for DoDo cosmetics Harisu quickly became a media sensation as the first open transsexual media personality in Korea.   She branched out into other entertainment areas such as music and acting in addition to her modeling career.

She also became in 2002 the second transperson in Korea to legally change her gender on her identity documents and eventually got married to her longtime boyfriend Micky Jung in 2007.
  

So for those transgirls who are dreaming of walking the international fashion runways and the current crop of trans models working towards achieving supermodel status and other goals, note that you have a proud history to look up to.

Note these people who walked in your pumps and broke down the barriers so you would have a less stressful time in doing so and you can just focus on being the best model you can be.

Know that you are part of a long stylish line of #girlslikeus who happen to excel at sashaying down those fashion catwalks and use it as a way to get their foot in the doors of other careers.  

In many cases, as they advanced their careers, those trans models also helped advance the human rights, visibility and humanity of transpeople around the world.