Valentina Sampaio once again made history, becoming the first transgender model to become armani's beauty spokesperson.
The 22-year-old girl from Brazil joined the ranks of actors Kate Blanchett, Ryan Reynolds, Nicolas Holt and other models such as Barbara Parvin and Madison Ryan as ambassadors for Italian beauty brands.
"I am delighted to be joining Armani and becoming a beautiful woman. As a transgender woman, this collaboration is a great milestone and a fulfillment of my personal dream for me," she said in a statement.
"Makeup has played such an important role in my personal development, and I am grateful to Armani Beauty for embracing diversity, enabling creative expression and giving personal beauty."
Sampaio will star in the brand's 2022 beauty commercial, shot by Swedish photographer Mikael Jansson.
The model's first Armani ad was for the brand's new lip power lipstick collection. This stunning photo shows her standing in front of a red background posing, revealing a pink pout and casting her gaze at the camera.
Although she used rose-colored lips in her campaign, Sampaio told Elle that red lipstick had a special place in her heart.
"Red lipstick was one of the few beauty products I remember my mom using," she said. "It's for special occasions, so red lips symbolize celebration, femininity and beauty."
Sampaio has pushed the boundaries of her life in her career, but the start hasn't been smooth.
She told Buzzfeed that she got her first job in a 2014 advertising campaign for a clothing company, but was fired when the company (which she did not want to name) found out she was transgender.
It's a very difficult time. It was as if I was wrong in that place, as if I didn't belong there. But my reaction was just to get out of the situation," she said in an interview.
A few years later, she walked into São Paulo Fashion Week and continued to book shows with L'Oréal, Dior, H&M, Mark Jacobs, Moschino and Philippe Plaine.
Sampaio became the first transgender model to appear on the cover of Vogue Paris in 2017. It was her first vogue cover, but not her last. She has also appeared on the cover of many other magazines, including Elle.