Leandra Medeiros Cerezo, known professionally as Lea T (born 19 February 1981),[3][4] is a Brazilian-born, Italian-raised transgender fashion model.[5] She has been called the "muse" of Riccardo Tisci,[6] chief creative officer of British luxury brand Burberry; her professional last name of "T" stands for Tisci.[7]
She is the face of American hair-care brand Redken.[8][9]
She is also a pop culture icon of transgender advocacy in the LGBT community.[10] She has stated that discrimination against LGBT people is an ongoing issue, and that society has more to do before it is resolved.
Early life
Assigned male at birth, T is the daughter of well-known former Brazilian football player Toninho Cerezo and was raised in Italy.[11][12][13]
She has been featured in editorials in Vogue Paris, Numero, Interview and Love. In 2011, she was also the cover star of two editions of the Spring/Summer 2011 edition of Love, one as a solo model and another featuring her kissing Kate Moss. T has also graced the covers of international editions of Elle, Marie Claire, Grazia and Glamour.
In February 2015, Lea T was chosen by Forbes magazine one of the 12 women who changed Italian fashion, alongside names like Miuccia Prada, Anna Dello Russo and Franca Sozzani.[16] 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.[8][9][17]
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,[18][19] leading out a 465-strong team contesting 29 sports, modern pentathlete Yane Marques carrying the Auriverde flag into the stadium.
Personal life
In a January 2011 interview, T stated her intention to undergo sex reassignment surgery. The surgery occurred in March 2012, in Thailand.[20][21] In an interview to Fantástico, in January 2013, she described the surgery in a negative way[22] but two weeks later she said that she "[felt] satisfied with the results".[23]
^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.)
^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.)
^ abVingan, 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.
^[3]Archived 1 October 2017 at the Wayback MachineShe often defends her choice by countering the common derogatory statements of sexuality or sexual orientation by stating, "I never had a girlfriend or boyfriend."
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