Valentina Sampaio is officially Sports Illustrated Swimsuit‘s first transgender model. This comes nearly a year after she made headlines as the face of Victoria’s Secret Pink.“I am excited and honored to be part of the iconic Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue,” Sampaio wrote in an Instagram post on Friday, July 10. “The team at SI has created yet another groundbreaking issue by bringing together a diverse set of multitalented, beautiful women in a creative and dignified way.”The 23-year-old beauty was shot by photographer Josie Clough in Scrub Island of the British Virgin Islands.
She is featured in this year’s big swim issue alongside seven other rookies, including Lorena Duran, Kim Riekenberg, Brooks Nader, Marquita Pring, Anita Marshall,.