Teen Vogue special edition cover star Vivian Wilson spoke at Teen Vogue Summit 2025, and she didn't hold back. In conversation with Editor-in-Chief Versha Sharma and Politics Editor Lex McMenamin, Wilson discussed the chaos of New York Fashion Week, online harassment, and the right-wing myth that trans people are violent.
The model got candid and emotional about her own experience as a trans woman, and opened up about the attack on gender-affirming care and anti-trans bills being passed nationwide under the Trump administration. Wilson medically transitioned when she was 16 and said it “basically saved my life.” While on stage, she held back tears, saying, “I refuse to cry, I'm gonna mess up my makeup.”
“There's this widespread misinformation and demonization where, especially right now, they're painting us all as violent mass shooters,” Wilson said of the far-right. “I'm not going to shoot anyone. I'm a model. I don't even know how to hold a gun."
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In Wilson's Teen Vogue cover story in March, she expressed wanting to model more. And in September, Wilson made her NYFW debut, walking in three different shows throughout the week. The model hit the runways at Prabal Gurung, Dauphinette, and Alexis Bittar, creating buzz every step of the way.
The Alexis Bittar presentation during fashion week was a theatrical show about the trans experience and the political attacks on trans rights. Wilson said she rehearsed for the show multiple times.
Earlier this year, Wilson opened up to Teen Vogue about making an effort to support herself, despite her father being the richest man on Earth. The model said she enrolled in community college in Los Angeles, noting, "College is expensive… I don’t have that inheritance.”
“I'm financially independent," Wilson said during Summit. "I'm making money now. Pre-Teen Vogue [cover], no. People have a lot of assumptions, and you just kinda have to deal with that."
As for her social media presence, Wilson doesn't care about being “cringe,” and encourages more people to do what they want online.
“My social media page is kind of me just doing what I feel like and people watch it sometimes,” she continued. “It's kind of just things that I find funny or entertaining.”
With the current political climate and the constant attack on LGBTQ+ rights, immigrant rights, and more, Wilson said she finds hope wherever she can. “What gives me hope?” she considered before answering. “My roommate's cat.”
Watch the full panel here:
