Model Hanne Gaby Odiele talks breaking taboos

It was a staggering show of courage. A year ago, Belgian model Hanne Gaby Odiele revealed she is intersex in an attempt to end the stigma around the condition, which she had always been told to hide. Her desire “to break the taboo”, as she put it, triggered a wider conversation about gender and diversity in fashion – and beyond – that continues to this day. It was also the reason why we at PORTER decided to nominate Odiele as one of our Incredible Women of 2017.

Since last January, the 29-year-old model, who has fronted campaigns for Dior, Alexander Wang and Balenciaga, has teamed up with non-profit interACT to advance intersex equality and advocate against the unnecessary surgeries that many in the intersex community undergo. At the age of 10, Odiele underwent surgery to remove her undescended testicles, then at 18 she had additional surgery to reconstruct her vagina. She points out now how both procedures caused her considerable distress.

In this exclusive Incredible Women podcast, Odiele celebrates another gender pioneer and heroine who inspires her, and reads an open essay about self-expression written by former US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in August 2017. Odiele goes on to praise Manning for always standing up and fighting for what she believes in, a principle she herself lives by.

Listen to Hanne Gaby Odiele’s Incredible Women podcast here.