LILLY

What is your preferred name and pronoun?
My name is Lilly Vaal and my pronouns are she/her.

Where did you grow up and what generation are you?
I grew up in the Imperial Valley, in California, and I am Gen Z.

What year did you start modeling?
2021.

Who were your first beauty icons and who do you admire today?
Well, growing up my mom wasn’t super feminine but she was always doing these crazy makeup looks which definitely peaked my interest, my grandma always had these crazy high heels that I’d get into, and my aunt was the one who showed me Britney Spears and all the pop divas who I still look up to this day! So an accumulation of the women I grew up around and stars like Ariana Grande and Britney Spears are definitely huge inspirations for me.

How did beauty advertisements make you feel as a kid when you were growing up or a young adult?
Well, since I am Gen Z, I would say probably pretty motivated because I feel like within my generation things have definitely opened up a lot more, so I'm very privileged for that. I'm very lucky to be born in a generation where obviously things are a lot more accepted than they've ever been. 

Can we ask when you transitioned, what age?
I was eight. I was really young. Yeah, I am very lucky.

How have you seen the beauty industry shift from when you were a kid to now?
I feel like it's shifted at a good pace from being really negative to a lot more positive. It evolved fast because it went from super skinny, white, blonde, Victoria, secret models to everyone being let in now. Literally anybody can model, doesn't matter how tall you are, what color you are, where you're from, what you identify as.

What effects has the inclusivity boom in beauty advertising had on you personally or professionally? For better or for worse? And what about for your community?
It just recently got better. This will be my third year modeling. Every experience modeling is always different. Modeling is such a wishy-washy industry to be in, one day you could be a star the next day you could be gone. I'm grateful for the buildup. I'm grateful that it's happening now.

In some ways, you fit the bill for the standard of beauty being a beautiful woman with long hair who’s tall with great skin.
Yeah. There's definitely a lot of privilege that I have being a trans woman that passes so well. Some questions might be a little bit harder for me to answer because the reality of it is that I have a very privileged outlook compared to other trans girls. I even find myself having a disconnect when I meet some trans girls. It's just obvious that I transitioned very young. Anywhere I go, no one really suspects a thing.

How do you relate to your gender professionally?
When I first started modeling, I remember my agents they sat me down. It's like a circle, like the council of my agents. They're like, how do you want to be presented? And when I was asked that, I told them I want it to be known, but I also don't want it to be what I'm known for. I don't want to be just the pride campaign. I want to be a star.

Did you always know you wanted to be a model? And what encouraged you to actually pursue it?
Modeling has always been associated with being tall. And when I was little that emasculated me and I didn't like it. Everyone would always be like, ‘Oh, you're so tall, you should be a model.’ I didn't want to be tall. I wanted to be little. I wanted to be a little girl. So it didn't hit me until middle school/high school that I wanted to model. But then I didn't really think about it too hard until I graduated. I graduated during Covid, I was class of 2020. So I just remember being super confused as to what I wanted to do. I was originally going to go to college for track. I was going to be a track athlete, but then within that my whole life would change. And then within doing athletics, that's a whole other ball game when you're trans. So it's just like, I didn't really want to put myself through that. So I would say that's when I finally realized I wanted to be a model. Then I remember that summer I spent all summer sending out my digitals to agencies, and I didn't even hear back until September/October and that's when I first signed.

What do you think you personally bring to the fashion and beauty world?
A sense of fun. A sense of joy. I love to go on set. I just like to talk to people. I like to reach people. I like to connect with people. I like encountering people. I love the effect I might have on some people. I think I bring a sense of community. Connection.

Additional Question Posed After the 2024 Presidential Election Results
How do you feel the results of this election will impact you, both personally and professionally?
Well, it obviously invokes some type of fear in me. I worry a lot about the children who could be affected by the election and what the outcome could end up being for them and obviously other adults like myself. I know that in the grand scheme of things I will do whatever it takes to keep living my life happily. As for others it’s important to shine a light on the rights at risk of being taken away and how that endangers their lives. Professionally, I know the fashion industry puts a lot of queer voices at the forefront so I just hope it continues doing so. 

Where do you think your power lies in the face of these results as a model?
As a model I think my power lies within just being a voice for others and putting my best foot forward for those who feel like they can’t. 

What do you think the beauty industry can do to support you in the coming years?
In coming years I think the beauty industry should keep moving in the direction it has been the last few years, it’s opened up a ton and became a safe space for queer people and so we can’t let it go backwards and take away from all the work that’s been already done.