NEW YORK: Valentina Sampaio has become the first openly transgender model hired by Victoria’s Secret nearly a year after a top company official was pressured to apologize for implying trans women are off-brand. Sampaio, a Brazilian, has been posting from behind the scenes of a VS Pink campaign to the delight of celebrities who include Laverne Cox. Cox who is also transgender, posted on one of Sampaio’s photos: “Wow finally!” Last November, marketing officer Ed Razek of parent L Brands Inc, said in a Vogue interview that the annual Victoria’s Secret angels TV special would never include “transsexuals” because “the show is a fantasy.” He apologized after outrage ensued.