This was rumored a bit, but I wasn’t sure if it would happen. The latest reveal is Valentina Sampaio, a prominent trans model.
I gotta say, she looks … really hot.
When I first heard the idea floated out there that a trans woman might appear in SI (at first, some people said it derisively, as in “What will the virtue-signaling woke warriors force on us next???”) I wondered how I’d react to such a thing.
I’m a firm believer that trans women are women. (And trans men, men.) But this is a moment where the rubber hits the road: a trans model in my girlie mag.
Well, she’s gorgeous. I find myself studying her face, and sometimes there’s a flash of what she might look like as a man. But it’s true that the most gorgeous people have a bit of androgyny to their faces. Even Sara, my other Sampaio, has facial features that could be seen as masculine in some photos.
Thick eyebrows, strong jawline, direct gaze.
She’d make a hot guy, let’s be honest.
Maybe it’s the result of years of gender-switching Instagram filters, but I think we’re all used to seeing the fluidity of secondary sex characteristics.
Plus, the swimsuit issue is fantasy. It’s makeup and poses and visual cues. As the end result, what are we looking at? A beautiful person. A gorgeous body.
I was reminded of a photoshoot of Cindy Crawford during her heyday. I think it was for Esquire or Details? In any case, she dressed as a man, complete with stubble, and she looked quite handsome. Kind of like George Michael. I think this is a photo from that shoot.
Anyway, I’m not sure I’m processing this in the most progressive or respectful way — I don’t want to imply that trans women have to look like supermodels to be acceptable. Bottom line is, Valentina is a woman, not a man dressed as a woman, and I think she’s set to be one of the most beautiful models this year.
She really is quite stunning in photographs.
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