Munroe Bergdorf has released new a lingerie collection with Bluebella, months after Victoria’s Secret chief marketing officer Ed Razek made controversial comments about refusing to hire transgender models.
The British model and social activist underwent gender transition treatment at the age of 24, appearing in a an episode of London Live's Drag Queens of London, which documented her transition.
Now 31, Bergdorf is starring in Bluebella's Valentine's lingerie campaign to encourage all women to "feel empowered and sexy in their own ways, on their own terms."
The model has also expressed her opposition to the anti-trans comments made by Razek to Vogue in November 2018, where he said that he didn't think Victoria's Secret should feature "transsexuals" on its catwalk because "the show is a fantasy".
"I think it's a big shame that Victoria's Secret decided not to be inclusive of trans women within their shows or campaigns. Lingerie should be something that all women can enjoy," she says.
"It's something personal, beautiful and intimate that is a celebration of femininity, something that every woman should have the option of being included in."
Bergdorf chose to work with Bluebella due to her admiration for it as a brand that's created by women with women in mind, as opposed to the male gaze.
"Obviously people are going to find women in Bluebella attractive but I don't feel the ethos behind is to get men to find women attractive - it's to make women feel good in their own right," the model states.
In February 2018, Bergdorf was appointed an LGBT+ adviser for the Labour Party, although she resigned shortly after due to "relentless online abuse" she'd been experiencing.
The model believes strongly in the inclusion of transgender women in the fashion industry, a notion that she acknowledges Bluebella is actively supporting.
"It feels like women coming together as a united front to say that there's no future for transphobia in the fashion industry," Bergdorf tells Cosmopolitan.
The owner of Bluebella, Emily Bendell, has praised Bergdorf for her bravery as a social activist, explaining that the model's "bold voice" is the reason why she was chosen to front the campaign.
"She has used her profile to advocate for a fairer world and to empower individuals to fight for positive change," Bendell says.
Bergdorf's #LoveYourself Valentine's lingerie collection for Bluebella is available to buy now.
