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Chanel Beauty hires its first openly transgender model, Teddy Quinlivan

By Shelby Lin Erdman, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Model Teddy Quinlivan wears a black and orange dress and carries a Louis Vuitton bag outside Chloe during Paris Fashion Week on February 28, 2019, in Paris, France. 

By Shelby Lin Erdman, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Transgender model Teddy Quinlivan has a new gig, and it’s a historic one.

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Quinlivan announced on social media that she's fronting Chanel Beauty's latest makeup campaign as the first openly transgender model hired by the iconic brand for its cosmetic advertisements, according to E! Online.

Quinlivan, 25, has modeled for years and appeared on the runway for Chanel in the past, but

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💄CHANEL BEAUTY💄 -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. 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 fagot, to receiving industry blowback after speaking publicly about being sexually assaulted on the job... 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. 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! @nicolaskantor @shazmakeup @sebastienrichard1 @casadevallbelen

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">she said on Instagram she didn’t expect to work for Chanel again after publicly announcing she was transgender.

“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,” she wrote.

“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.”

She called it a “triumphant moment” for her and other transgender models.

Quinlivan has worked on other beauty ad campaigns in the past and appeared in fashion shows for a number of designers, including Gucci, Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton, Moschino and Altuzarra.

Cox Media Group

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