I Love A Success Story - Ariel Nicholson Murtagh[

Model Ariel Nicholson Murtagh

Transgender models are changing the modeling industry, making it more inclusive.

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By Frank Olito

Ariel Nicholson became the first transgender model on the cover of US Vogue earlier this year. (2021)

Ariel Nicholson Murtagh (born January 23, 2001) is a New York-based model, writer, and LGBT rights activist. She was the first openly transgender model to walk in a Calvin Klein presentation and the first openly transgender women on the cover of Vogue. Her writing has appeared in Perfect Magazine, amongst other publications.(Wikipedia)

Nicholson, who is a writer, activist, and model, appeared on American Vogue's September issue. In the photo, she and a few other big-name models like Bella Hadid are seen sitting in the Vogue offices in New York. 

The history-making cover marked the first time a transgender person appeared on the cover of the fashion magazine. 

"I've been put in this box, 'trans model,'" Nicholson told Vogue. "Which is what I am — but that's not all that I am. Obviously, it's a big deal being the first trans woman on the cover of Vogue, but it's also hard to say exactly what kind of big deal it is when the effects are so intangible." 

She's also appeared on the cover of Italian Vogue and she was the first transgender model to walk in a Calvin Klein fashion show — she appeared in the Spring/Summer 2018 show while still a sophomore in high school.

Read her Vogue article "Ariel Nicholson on Finding Solace in Dressing Up and Coming of Age in Fashion"

Ever since I could speak, dressing up was my favorite pastime. I loved princess dresses, especially Belle’s from Beauty and the Beast. I would twirl around the living room, caressing the golden fabric, layers of tulle, and ribbons with glittering rose appliqués. When I watched Judy Garland sing in full Technicolor on our old flat-screen TV, I wore a Dorothy dress for a week straight with a stuffed Toto in tow.