Teddy Quinlivan has become the first openly transgender model to work with the luxury fashion house, Chanel.
Quinlivan took to Instagram on Monday to share that she will be the new face of Chanel beauty, and to express how "deeply humbled and proud" she is to represent the iconic brand. The 25-year-old came out as trans back in 2017, and while she had previously worked with Chanel, she feared that she'd never work with such high-profile retailers again.
Since publicly announcing her trans identity, Quinlivan has worked with the likes of Redken, Coach, and Louis Vuitton.
"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," the American model captioned the Instagram announcement.
"This was a victory that made all of that shit worth it. 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," she continued.
"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 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. Thank you to everyone who made this dream a reality!"
Watch the Governor of Illinois sign an order to protect transgender students:The first images to emerge from the beauty campaign see Quinlivan applying the line's Coco lipstick, Soleil Tan De Chanel bronzer and Le Volume De Chanel N°10 Noir mascara.
Chanel is the latest in a string of brands to champion transgender models. Earlier this month, Victoria's Secret hired their first trans model, 22-year-old Valentina Sempaio.