CULTURE

Valentina Sampaio Becomes Sports Illustrated’s First Transgender Model

Photo: Josie Clough / Sports Illustrated

Valentina Sampaio becomes the first transgender model to be featured in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

Amid a global pandemic and poisonous politics, there are some highs. Valentina Sampaio has become Sports Illustrated’s first openly transgender model. The 23-year-old Brazilian model is a force to reckon with, she is no stranger to the spotlight. In 2017, Sampaio appeared on the cover of a Vogue edition, and in 2019, she became Victoria’s Secret’s first openly transgender model. 

Sampaio’s inclusion in this year’s issue comes amid a global push for transgender visibility and acceptance. Transgender women are too often the targets of discrimination and abuse, so Sampaio’s feature in a prominent, popular publication is truly groundbreaking. Sampaio wrote a powerful, poignant personal essay on Sports Illustrated’s website, where she expressed her gratitude and humility for being featured. She noted that Brazil, her native country, is notorious for its transphobia, so her ability to emerge as a leading light, in spite of her identity as a trans woman, is inconceivable and extremely meaningful. 

Sampaio continues to use her enormous, influential platform to advocate for the transgender community.

The public’s response to Sampaio’s feature has been overwhelmingly positive and loyal fans are fiercely defending the model.

Sports Illustrated has a proven record of celebrating diversity. In 2016, the magazine featured its first size 16 model Ashley Graham and in 2019, the publication featured its first Somali-American model to wear a hijab, Halima Aden. 

In a world where Eurocentric beauty standards are too often idealized and presented as the prototype, it is unbelievably refreshing to see fashion magazines feature diverse models. Sports Illustrated continues to champion multifarious, unique, and unconventional forms of beauty. We cannot wait to see who the magazine features next.