Lea T
Lea T | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Lea T in 2009 | |
| Born | Leandra Medeiros Cerezo February 19, 1981 Belo Horizonte, Brazil |
| Modeling information | |
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) |
| Hair color | Brown |
| Eye color | Brown |
Leandra Medeiros Cerezo, known professionally as Lea T (born 17 April 1981),[1][2] is a Brazilian-born, Italian-raised transgender fashion model.[3] She is the muse of Riccardo Tisci, creative director of French luxury brand Givenchy; her professional last name of "T" stands for Tisci.[4]
She is the face of American hair-care brand Redken.[5][6]
She is also a pop culture icon of transgender advocacy in the LGBT community.[7] She insists LGBT people should not be discriminated against.[8]
Biography
Lea T is the daughter of well-known former Brazilian football player Toninho Cerezo.[9][10] She grew up in Italy.[11] Lea T was assigned male at birth. In a January 2011 interview, the model stated her intentions to undergo sex reassignment surgery in March of that year.[12]
The surgery actually occurred in March 2012, in Thailand.[13] In an interview to Fantástico, in January 2013, she described the surgery in a negative way[14] but two weeks later she said that she "[felt] satisfied with the results".[15]
Lea T has stated that she has an attraction to both sexes.[16][17]
Career
She was first discovered by Givenchy senior designer Riccardo Tisci and became the face of Givenchy in late 2010. Her first runway show was for Alexandre Herchcovitch during São Paulo Fashion Week in January 2011.
She has been featured in editorials in Vogue Paris, Hercules Magazine, Interview Magazine, Cover Magazine and Love Magazine. In 2011, she was also the cover star of two editions of the Spring/Summer 2011 edition of Love Magazine, one as the solo model and another featuring her kissing Kate Moss.
In 2013, she participated in the Italian version of Dancing with the Stars on Rai Uno entitled Ballando con le Stelle.
In February 2015, Lea T was chosen by Forbes magazine one of the 12 women who changed the Italian fashion, alongside names like Miuccia Prada, Anna Dello Russo and Franca Sozzani.[18] In 2014 she became the face of American hair-care brand Redken, thus making her the first openly transgender model to front a global cosmetics brand.[5][6][19]
Lea T became the first openly transgender person ever to participate in the opening ceremonies of an Olympics when she led the Brazilian team into the stadium on her bike during the 2016 Rio Olympics.[20][21]
References
- ^ [1] Lea T., transgender Model, Talks Sex Change & The Night She Found Herself
- ^ [2] Lea T: "Nunca tive namorada nem namorado"
- ^ Van Meter, William (8 December 2010). "Transsexuals Are Edging Into the Mainstream". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
The clearest call to arms was the arrival of the transsexual model Lea T. For Givenchy's fall advertising campaign, Ms. T. was photographed by Mert and Marcus in a feathery blouson. When the ad was released in May, it set off a press frenzy, with Ms. T.'s modeling agency, Women, receiving more than 400 interview requests. Ms. T., 28, has been a friend of the Givenchy creative director Riccardo Tisci, since she was 17. (The "T" stands for Tisci; he unofficially adopted her into his family.)
{{cite news}}: line feed character in|quote=at position 74 (help) - ^ Van Meter, William (8 December 2010). "Transsexuals Are Edging Into the Mainstream". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
Ms. T., 28, has been a friend of the Givenchy creative director Riccardo Tisci, since she was 17. (The "T" stands for Tisci; he unofficially adopted her into his family.)
- ^ a b Vingan, Alyssa (4 November 2014). "Transgender Model Lea T Lands Big Redken Contract". Fashionista.com. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
Now, Lea T has received her most groundbreaking campaign yet: She's signed on to be a brand muse for global haircare brand Redken, with print and digital campaigns set for a January 2015 release.
- ^ a b Friedman, Megan (4 November 2014). "Transgender Model Lea T Is Redken's Newest Face". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
- ^ "21 Transgender People Who Influenced American Culture". Time Magazine.
- ^ "'We can't say it's fine, because it's not fine': Transgender model Lea T insists LGBT people are still being discriminated against, calls for society to 'do more'". Associated Newspapers Ltd. Daily Mail. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
- ^ "Lea T: "Ora che lui non c'è più"". vanityfair.it. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
- ^ Tom Phillips. "Lea T and the loneliness of the fashion world's first transsexual supermodel". the Guardian. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
- ^ "Oprah Talks to First Trans Supermodel Lea T". COLORLINES. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
- ^ [3] She often defends her choice by countering the common derogatory statements of sexuality or sexual orientation by stating, "I never had a girlfriend or boyfriend."
- ^ "'Sou mais homem do que mulher', diz Lea T. após cirurgia" (in Portuguese). Globo.com. 2013-01-29. Retrieved 2013-02-13.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Ceribelli, Renata (2013-01-28). "Lea T.: "Nunca vou ser 100% mulher, mesmo depois da cirurgia"" (in Portuguese). WordPress.com. Retrieved 2013-02-13.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "'O resultado atendeu minhas expectativas', diz Lea T sobre cirurgia de mudança de sexo" (in Portuguese). Caras. 2013-02-09. Retrieved 2013-02-13.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ [4] Lea T.: Who Is She?
- ^ Phillips, Tom (31 July 2010). "Lea T and the loneliness of the fashion world's first transsexual supermodel". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
She had been attracted to girls and boys and remembers feeling she had no "defined sexuality, or a precise direction to follow".
- ^ Lea T é eleita uma das mulheres que mudaram a moda italiana, segundo a Forbes
- ^ Morwenna Ferrier. "Lea T, the transgender hair-care model who's shifting our perception of beauty norms". the Guardian. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
- ^ "Who is Lea T, the transgender model taking part in the Rio 2016 opening ceremony?". rio2016.com. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
- ^ ALEX GAROFALO. "Who Is Lea T? At Rio Olympics, Brazilian Model Will Be First Transgender Person Featured In An Opening Ceremony". IBT Media Inc. ibtimes. Retrieved 6 August 2016.