“You can call me Miss Miami Swim until further notice.”
That’s what Australian transgender model Riley Minford declared on Instagram after rocking the runway at Miami Swim Week on Sunday, June 1.
After struggling with her identity as a child and being told by her mother that she would leave this world “sad and alone,” Riley can now say that she had a “dream come true” experience by staying true to herself and her identity.
Highlights
- Riley Minford stomped down the runway at Miami Swim Week on Sunday, June 1.
- The Australian transgender model called it a “dream come true” experience.
- “I think she’s going to be the next top supermodel,” one commenter said about her appearance.
- Riley previously spoke about how her mother said she would leave the world “sad and alone” if she were gay or transgender.
Australian transgender model Riley Minford rocked the runway at Miami Swim Week on Sunday, June 1
Image credits: rileyminford / Instagram
The Sydney-based model walked in the Oh Polly show in a red cutout one-piece as well as a barely there white bikini.
The influencer, with nearly 75K followers on Instagram, said she was “terrified” before the show but later felt like “an Aussie baddie” while catwalking down the runway.
“I was absolutely terrified but I got on that runway and ate it up,” she told The Daily Telegraph's Sydney Confidential.
Image credits: rileyminford / Instagram
The half Filipino star is currently based in Sydney and was proud to represent her country in the major fashion event.
“It felt so special being flown across the world to walk and I hope I did my duty,” she told the Australian outlet.
“I was absolutely terrified but I got on that runway and ate it up,” the transgender activist said
Image credits: rileyminford / Instagram
Haters claimed it was “misogynistic” of Riley to be on the runway, but fans were happy to see her be part of the show, with one saying, “We can’t handle how perfect this is.”
“You’re an icon!!!! So proud of you!!!” one commented.
“This is such a moment,” said another.
One made a prediction and said, “I think she’s going to be the next top supermodel.”
Image credits: rileyminford / Instagram
When Riley spoke about the struggles she has faced over the years, she recalled how her mother knew she was transgender “right from the start.”
What was “frustrating” was that her mother “just tried to ignore it” instead of trying to help.
“She’d say to me, ‘Riley, I knew if you were gay or trans, you’d d*e sad and alone,’” she previously told Beauticate. “Or she’d tell me that she was worried I’d get AIDS and die with just a cat for company.”
The Sydney-based model, who transitioned after school, said it was a “dream come true” to walk the Miami Swim Week runway
Meanwhile, her father was out of the picture during her childhood but provided financially.
“I struggled so much with identity until high school, and then I really switched things up. I went to a private, Christian co-ed school and that’s when I started to became [sic] a lot more comfortable with myself,” she said.
Image credits: Oh Polly / YouTube
The transgender activist said she would have liked to transition while in school but knew it would have been “really hard.”
Although Riley believes her parents wouldn’t have supported her when she was a child, she said her relationship with her mother is a “whole different vibe now.”
She called her mother her “biggest cheerleader.”
“Riley, I knew if you were gay or trans, you’d d*e sad and alone,” her mother told her
Image credits: Oh Polly / YouTube
Image credits: biancatoeps
Riley began transitioning after school and no longer wants to hide who she is.
“I had hidden from my trans self for so many years, that before I started this journey, I didn’t know whether or not I would be open about being trans,” she said.
Image credits: rileyminford / Instagram
“I thought the physical process of transitioning would be the hardest part, but for me it wasn’t at all,” she continued.
“I transitioned so flawlessly that now I could fly under the radar if I wanted to, so it made me want to be out and open and proud. I wanted to take the high road for others who don’t have it so easy.”
Riley said the physical process of transitioning wasn't the hardest part of her journey
Image credits: rileyminford / Instagram
Riley’s debut at Miami Swim Week is not just a personal milestone. It is part of a bigger wave in the fashion world, which has increasingly been embracing trans representation in recent times.
Trailblazers Alex Consani and Valentina Sampaio made history last year as the first transgender supermodels to walk the runway at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show made history with its first transgender models on the runway last year
Image credits: Victoria's Secret / YouTube
“I’m trans, and I think it’s really important to have people like me on the runway being perceived as beautiful,” Alex told WWD backstage before beautifully stomping down the runway in large silk angel wings at the New York show.
“Especially in a setting like this that’s always been very cis-oriented, it’s important to be bringing in a lot of different types of people and I’m just grateful that I was thought of, you know in that community,” she added.
Image credits: Victoria's Secret / YouTube
Meanwhile, Valentina wore a shimmering, black string bikini as she walked the runway in a section opened by Kate Moss.
“Inclusivity is crucial to the world we’re building, and I’m honored to walk with pride, love, and the hope of inspiring the next generation,” Valentina wrote in an Instagram post last October. “Thank you, Victoria’s Secret, for making a long-held dream come true.”
Riley was showered with praises for her appearance at Miami Swim Week
