Chanel Beauty Hires its First Transgender Model
Model Teddy Quinlivan made the news official that she would be working with Chanel on her Instagram page.
She starts her post by saying, “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.”
The model adds, “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 fa***, to receiving industry blowback after speaking publically about being sexually assaulted on the job… This was a victory that made all of that sh*t worth it.”
Teddy also says in her post that she’d previously walked for Chanel when she hadn’t yet come out as trans, and that she knew she’d lose work when she finally did.
“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.”
Quinlivan closes her post by saying, “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.”
