Chanel Beauty has a new face, and it’s a man’s.
An area once reserved for women is going the way of girls’ athletics as the patriarchal male domination continues.
As brought to light by Instyle:
Teddy Quinlivan is no stranger to fronting beauty campaigns, but her latest gig is not only a big career milestone, it’s history-making. Quinlivan announced that she’s the face of a new Chanel Beauty campaign, and is the first openly transgender model to be hired by the fashion house. The model shared the news on Instagram with a video and photo from the campaign, along with a heartfelt message about the importance of Chanel hiring her.
Here’s what Teddy had to say:
“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 fagot, 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.”
The model’s no stranger to the fashion world: He’s manned runways for not only Chanel, but Louis Vuitton and Gucci as well.
InStyle reports he “[came] out as transgender in 2017.”
His biography — as featured by BusinessOfFashion.com — states the following:
She transitioned when she was 16 and has been presenting herself as cisgender ever since. Her modelling career took off after being discovered by Louis Vuitton creative director Nicolas Ghesquière in 2015, when she made her debut as an exclusive for the Louis Vuitton’s Spring/Summer 2016 show.
Is Teddy’s suggestion, then, that no one with whom he worked knew he was a man?
Apparently, yes:
“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. 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 fashion world thought Teddy Quinlivan was a cisgender woman — but she decided to come out as trans to inspire others in the community #TransDayofVisibility pic.twitter.com/lCcSTZZkAg
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) March 31, 2019
Chanel Beauty’s certainly making a bold choice, given that marketing is usually the illustration of a brand’s target demographic using its product.
Or is their new bullseye men who love lipstick?
Either way, though he’s Chanel’s first, Teddy Quinlivan isn’t alone in his industry.
InStyle observes:
Quinlivan is the latest transgender model succeeding in the beauty space, and helping to make it more inclusive. Andreja Pejic modeled for MAKE UP FOR EVER and Victoria’s Secret model Valentina Sampaio has also worked with L’Oreal Paris. Adding Chanel to the list of brands prioritizing diversity and representation is a triumph to celebrate, indeed.
And there you have it. The world’s changing fast.
-ALEX
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