BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

Model makes history as Victoria’s Secret’s first with Down syndrome

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

(NEXSTAR) – A Puerto Rican woman has made history by becoming Victoria’s Secret’s first model with Down syndrome.

“One day I dreamed it, I worked for it and today it’s a dream come true,” 24-year-old Sofía Jirau wrote in an Instagram post.

Jirau is part of the latest Victoria’s Secret line, the Love Cloud Collection, which is described as a “first of its kind campaign for the brand.” Seventeen other women are modeling the campaign, including Miriam Blanco, who is paraplegic, and Celilo Miles, a Nez Perce Tribe-Wildland firefighter.

Hailey Bieber, the wife of pop singer Justin Bieber, is also listed as one of the models for the line.

Jirau made her modeling debut during New York Fashion Week in 2020, according to People. She oversees her own brand, Alavett, as well. According to the brand’s website, Alavett is how Jirau spells “I love it,” her favorite words.

Last summer, the lingerie brand parted ways with the Victoria’s Secret Angels amid criticism over a lack of diversity and enforcing unrealistic body standards for women. CEO Martin Waters called Angels no longer “culturally relevant” in an interview with the New York Times.

In 2019, Victoria’s Secret hired its first openly transgender model after a company official was pressured to apologize for implying trans women are off-brand.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Business

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Site Settings Survey

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Fair

la

59°F Fair Feels like 58°
Wind
6 mph E
Humidity
64%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

A clear sky. Low 54F. Winds light and variable.
54°F A clear sky. Low 54F. Winds light and variable.
Wind
4 mph N
Precip
1%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waning Gibbous