Vivian Wilson Shares Experience with Body-Shaming During Her Childhood: 'That Never Really Leaves You'
Vivian Wilson Shares Experience with Body-Shaming During Her Childhood: 'That Never Really Leaves You'
Michelle LeeFri, April 10, 2026 at 3:36 PM UTC
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Vivian Wilson at the OUT100 event in Los Angeles on on November 21, 2025Credit: River Callaway/Variety via Getty -
Vivian Wilson opened up about body-shaming in a new interview with Cosmopolitan
The trans model shared how commentary on her weight as a kid followed her throughout her life
Wilson admitted she "wouldn't like to show my body off at all," but after her fashion career took off, she became an underwear model in 2025
Vivian Wilson shared how commentary on her body has affected her in the long run.
The 21-year-old trans model, whose mom is Justine Wilson and estranged father is Elon Musk, told Cosmopolitan in an interview published April 8 that she was "made fun of for" her weight during her childhood. But really, "looking back on photos now…I was not even chubby. I was just born in Los Angeles," she said.
Wilson, who has walked for Gucci and Prabal Gurung, said the experience "never really leaves you," adding, "It has very much affected me. I was a very modest person. I wouldn't like to show my body off at all and I always got super uncomfortable at the thought.”
Vivian Wilson walking the Gucci Fall-Winter 2026 show in MilanCredit: Gamma-Rapho via Getty
She set aside her inhibitions and decided to star in a campaign with TomboyX, which marked her first time as an underwear model. Recalling when she got the opportunity, she said, “TomboyX came along and said, ‘We're doing an underwear shoot; we will pay you this amount of money,' and I was like, ‘I love this company; I want to further my modeling career; this is the step I should take' and I think I kind of ate that up.”
She continued making a name for herself in the intimates space in January, when her debut campaign for Rihanna's lingerie and loungewear brand Savage X Fenty came out.
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Speaking with Cosmopolitan, Wilson, who came out as trans in 2020 per Teen Vogue, shared her outlook on navigating the fashion world, which solely relies on appearance, and the ridicule on social media that follows. She admitted "there were a few things that got to me. It's the internet's favorite hobby to comment on women's bodies. Especially trans women's bodies, depending on how feminine or masculine or AFAB [assigned female at birth] or DFAB [designated female at birth] or whatever the fuck it is you look. Which…I'm over.”
Wilson appeared in her first New York Fashion Week presentation last fall. She was featured in Alexis Bittar's Spring-Summer 2026 show, which highlighted states “where trans rights are currently being stripped away." Her first major fashion campaign came months prior in the form of a Wildfang collaboration released during Pride Month.
Vivian Wilson at the Acne Studios Fall-Winter 2026 show in ParisCredit: Arnold Jerocki/Getty
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In her interview with PEOPLE, she talked about her plans to use her platforms to raise awareness around trans issues that her community faces. "I'm always going to be vocal about [trans issues] because it is who I am. I'm a trans woman. I've got to be a trans woman."
She continued, "Obviously I'm never going to shut the f--- up. ... I can't say that."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
