With the world's recent introduction to the glamorously brave Caitlyn Jenner, transgender identities have been a hot topic, finally getting the love and recognition they deserve. But while strong transgender media personalities (including Caitlyn and Laverne Cox, our favorite Orange Is The New Black star) frequent the limelight, many transgender trendsetters are still unknown to a large portion of our population. Trailblazing through the fashion industry, these women have made a historical impact on the world of cover girls and catwalks, opening the doors for future transgender stars to shine. Meet five fabulous transgender fashion icons of today's industry, killing it on runways around the world.
1. Andreja Pejik
Australian model Andreja Pejic is without doubt the most famous transgender model to date. She was the first transgender woman to be featured in Vogue and has strutted down the catwalk of many fashion shows in Paris. We're thoroughly impressed!
2. Jenna Talackova
Beauty queen Jenna Talackova made history after winning a legal battle against the international Miss Universe organization, which unjustly tried to disqualify her from competing in Miss Universe Canada in 2012. Her strength and dedication allowed her to compete, paving the way for future transgender contestants to have access to the competition. Since, she's had an extremely influential role in the LGBTQ+ community, shown above as Grand Marshall of the Vancouver Pride Parade. We couldn't be prouder!
3. Ines Rau
Ines Rau was born in Paris and embraced her female identity at the early age of 16. Her self-confidence at such a young age led her to great success, landing her a modeling career almost immediately. Now a supermodel, she's been featured in tons of shoots and has even graced the pages of Playboy.
4. Isis King
Isis King made waves when she starred as the first transgender contestant on America's Next Top Model. Though she didn't win, Tyra Banks was so impressed with her performance, ambition, and inherent modeling talent that she's since reached out and supported King on multiple occassions. Now an extremely famous American model, King has been featured in top magazines such as Seventeen and Us Weekly. Even more inspiring, she's American Apparel's first outwardly transgender model.
5. Carmen Carrera
Carmen Carrera is super talented, having worked as an actress, model, and burlesque dancer. You may have seen her on RuPaul's Drag Race, but that's not all she's famous for. Carrera has been the model muse for famous artist David LaChapelle, which is quite an honor! Even better, over forty thousand people signed a petition in 2014 to make Carrera the next Victoria's Secret Angel. While Victoria's Secret failed to address the petition (ugh), it's still an astonishing feat to garner that much public support, and we're both amazed and inspired by Carrera's success.
Serving as role models for members of the transgender community, these five icons are worthy of substantial praise!
