Chanel Beauty Hires First Transgender Model

Chanel Beauty has recently enlisted its first-ever openly transgender model, Teddy Quinlivan. The model has walked major runways such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Chloé before she announced her deal with Chanel on her Instagram page.

She captioned the video of her putting on a pink Rouge Coco lipstick by Chanel Beauty with a heartfelt and inspiring message:

“I find I don’t cry anymore when things are sad, but isn’t it interesting when we shed tears in moments of triumph. This was one of those triumphant cry moments for me. 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 faggot, to receiving industry blowback after speaking publicly about being sexually assaulted on the job… This was a victory that made all of that shit worth it. I had walked two 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. 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.”

“The world will kick you down, spit on you, and tell you you’re worthless. It’s your job to have the strength to stand up and push on, to keep fighting. Because if you give up then you will never experience the tears of triumph.“

She ended the caption thanking “everyone who made this dream a reality.”

Watch Quinlivan’s TEDx Talk in July below. It’s about how her coming out in the September of 2017 has made her a happier and more successful person.