He’s got us in a Lavender Haze! Meet trans model Laith Ashley in Taylor Swift’s new music video

A transgender model has left Taylor Swift fans mesmerized after appearing in the singer’s new music video, but who exactly is she?

Laith Ashley, who has amassed more than 320,000 followers on Instagram since beginning her modeling career, appears as Swift’s love interest in her latest video for Lavender Haze.

Her appearance has been hailed as a huge victory for trans representation, with fans thanking her on behalf of the LGBTQ community for “being a part of history.”

But the 33-year-old, born in Harlem, New York, hasn’t always been in the spotlight.

He previously detailed his struggles with his identity after coming out as gay at 17 and then transitioning in his mid-20s.

While working as an insurance navigator, he finally got his big break in a campaign for Barneys New York.

Here FEMAIL documents Laith Ashley’s steady rise to become a ‘inspiration’ that caught the eye of music’s biggest superstar.

Laith Ashley recalls a ‘misalignment’ between her body and her gender identity from the age of five.

The muscular model has previously discussed how he was just five years old when he first felt there was a ‘misalignment’ between his body and his gender identity.

He came out as gay to his parents at age 17, but by his own account, he still wasn’t quite sure who he was.

“I didn’t know what transgender was at the time, so I told them I had a girlfriend, but I never felt right about being a lesbian woman,” Laith explained.

But finally, in her late twenties, she realized who she really was and broke the news to her mother.

“My mom is a Pentecostal Christian, and even though she loves me, she felt it conflicted with her faith,” she said.

‘My dad was fine. I told him that if he’s proud of me, he takes power away from the people he criticizes. Who cares what other people think if he’s proud?

The star, who has a psychology degree from Connecticut’s Fairfield University, spent two years on testosterone before undergoing surgery in 2015.

“There was a lot of fear at the beginning. It took me six years from the time I came out as trans to start my medical transition,” she said at the time.

‘Once I got over that fear, nothing stopped me. I am the most comfortable I have ever been.

‘When I look in the mirror, I am satisfied with that image. This is how I want to introduce myself to the world. This is me.’

Laith got his big break with Barneys New York before going from strength to strength on a breakneck trajectory.

While working as an insurance navigator at Callen Lorde Community Health Center, he got his big break with Barneys New York’s landmark Brother, Sisters, Sons & Daughters ad campaign in spring 2014.

The campaign, which was shot by legendary fashion photographer Bruce Weber, featured 17 transgender stories from models of various backgrounds.

Laith’s modeling career then took off at record speed after trans activist Laverne Cox reposted one of her photos on her own Instagram account.

She soon found herself on the runway at New York Fashion Week, and has since graced the covers of renowned fashion and lifestyle publications including British GQ, Vogue France and Out Magazine.

Speaking of his breakneck journey, Laith said at the time: “I went through a period of being very overwhelmed. I focused on all the negative feedback I was getting and just wanted to disappear.

“I never considered myself a role model. It was a tag they put on me after my photos started circulating through social media.”

But the model soon found its place and soon appeared on television screens across the country.

In 2016, Laith starred in a series called Strut, executive produced by Whoopi Goldberg, and told the story of a group of transgender models trying to make a name for themselves in the fashion world.

Just two years later, in 2018, she was tackling another media genre when she performed her own songs at LA Pride before releasing her own music video that same year.

Throughout it all, Laith has remained a passionate educator and activist for the LGBTQ community, previously stating, “I know many look up to me, because I can fit the image they want to achieve, which I find incredibly humbling, but I want to to also know that your life journey is yours.

‘People have to be true to themselves, they don’t have to fit into a box.’

This perspective has likely helped make him the perfect candidate to appear in Taylor’s latest music video.

The model’s appearance in Taylor Swift’s music video will take it to new heights

Swift has been a vocal ally of the LGBTQ community and released the Pride anthem You Need to Calm Down in 2019.

The name of the hit song proves GLAAD and points to anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.

And Laith’s presence in her Lavender Haze video has been hailed as a big step in the right direction.

Sharing a snippet of the music video on her Instagram, Laith wrote: ‘Thank you @taylorswift for allowing me to play a small part in your story. You are brilliant and this is an experience I will never forget. It was really magical.

‘Your storytelling abilities through your music and imagery continue to leave me in awe, inspired and hopeful.

‘Thank you for being an ally. Representation matters. AND LOVE WILL ALWAYS WIN!’

Swift added that she “adored” working with the model in a social media post of her own.

And fans were quick to praise Laith and his journey.

One wrote: ‘Thank you for representing us trans people! I’m not going to lie, I cried with emotion watching the music video. You are amazing!’

Another added: ‘So happy for you and the whole lgbtq community! This is so amazing I’m happy for you!!’

Others called him “an inspiration” and thanked him for “being a part of history for all of us.”