Transgender Model Teddy Is The New Poster-Girl For Chanel Beauty
“A girl should be two things: who and what she wants” ~ Coco Chanel
Teddy Quinlivan is certainly not green. The 25-year-old was discovered by Louis Vuitton’s creative director Nicholas Ghesquière in 2015; and now, the openly transgender model will be entering a new phase of her career as the face of Chanel’s latest beauty campaign.
This is a monumental moment in the beauty and fashion industries because it is the first time the luxury brand has welcomed a transgender model into their coveted fold. Teddy has been working since 21 years of age, walking for Carolina Herrera, Jeremy Scott and Jason Wu, to name a few.
After working successfully, and consistently for a couple of years, the model came out as Transgender in 2017 in a CNN Style interview, risking everything to bring awareness to LGBTQ+ issues. The reaction was mixed but overwhelmingly positive and, a cathartic experience for Teddy. Even Marc Jacobs applauded her bravery!
Now, the model has taken to Instagram to express just how much landing the Chanel Beauty campaign means to her. Both Teddy and Chanel Beauty posted a video clip where she walks us through achieving a “summer glow look.” Teddy wrote a lengthy caption below the video that began, "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."
Beyond the fashion industry, Teddy continues to use her platform to bring awareness to LGBTQ+ causes, even hosting her first TED Talk earlier this year. While Chanel is embracing change and showing the fashion world what the future looks like, we will be watching Teddy’s personal fight with absolute admiration.
Image credit: Refinery29
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