Joining Bud Light and Jack Daniels in appointing a trans person as a “brand ambassador” is Australian swimwear brand Seafolly, which just made a “non-binary,” biological male named Deni Todorovič as its first trans ambassador. That was a big leap for the brand, which had previously named supermodels like Gigi Hadid and Miranda Kerr as its brand ambassadors.
Deni made the announcement on Instagram, saying, “Today we made history. This marks the first time iconic Aussie swim giants @seafollyaustralia have worked with a Trans person. As the Chief Marketing Officer said in our initial meeting, it’s the first time of many more to come. I couldn’t be more honoured. This week I’ve been reminded of the many complexities of living as a trans non binary person in Australia, so to have this support from a brand I’ve admired since my days at Cosmo – is a true pinch me moment! 🥹 We discussed authentic allyship and have had some very exciting conversations about how the brand can work with community. THIS is what allyship looks like. Thanks to @sylvie.e.m from Marketing and @tomandersno from Design and the absolute legend CEO @brendan_santamaria 🙏🏽 10 days ago the Seafolly team and I had a zoom call to discuss the inspiration behind my custom made look to wear as the host of their Pre-Party for @sydneyworldpride 🏳️🌈 10 days later here it is! Happy Sydney World Pride everyone – were here till 3PM on Campbell Parade in Bondi. Come say G’Day! 💞 #Ad #SummerWithSeafolly #PRIDE #SYDNEYWORLDPRIDE”
That announcement received mixed reviews, to which Deni responded by saying, “Here’s what I won’t tolerate. Being called a sexual predator by muscled up guys who need to exert their internalised homophobia onto me. It’s not cute. Blocked deleted named and shamed because you don’t get to attack me in my own space doll. You don’t even know me. So with respect. Jog on. 🏃♂️#FUCKOFF”
In another post, Deni said, “First of all, I’m not a man pretending to be a woman, not even close. Second of all, I’m not trying to steal jobs from women, at all, there were many women involved in that campaign. There were also queer people involved in that campaign, like Thomas who designed (the swimsuit), like me who is non-binary. We miss out on jobs all the time, so let’s just have a bit of nuance before you f***ing troll me like this.”
Seafolly responded to criticism as well, saying, “We are here to celebrate the Australian beach lifestyle and inspire one another to feel confident at the beach. In this community, we do not tolerate abusive, offensive, hateful language, trolling, deliberate disruption of discussion, or spam. Please be respectful of each other’s differences and remember to always be kind.”
Twitter commentator Oli London posted about the new Seafolly ambassador on Twitter, saying, “This Australian non-binary man, Deni Todorovič, is the new brand ambassador and model for Women’s Swimwear Brand Seafolly. 👙🩱The brands previous brand ambassadors included Gigi Hadid and Miranda Kerr. After the brand received backlash for featuring a man in their campaign they issued a statement saying “we stand proud that our brand is inclusive of all women including the LGBTQIA+ community”.
This Australian non-binary man, Deni Todorovič, is the new brand ambassador and model for Women’s Swimwear Brand Seafolly. 👙🩱
The brands previous brand ambassadors included Gigi Hadid and Miranda Kerr.
After the brand received backlash for featuring a man in their campaign… pic.twitter.com/0bHEWEsL0n
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) April 5, 2023
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