Who Is Ines Rau, the Gorgeous Transgender Woman Posing With Tyson Beckford?

She's a 24-year-old French model of North African descent. But there's more to her story.

By Jamilah King Nov 08, 2013

Tyson Beckford posed for a series of gorgeous (and pretty raunchy) photos with transgender model Ines Rau. The shoot was for OOB Magazine’s "Tropical Surrealism" spread and was photographed by Rodolpho Martinez. You can see the rest of the NSFW photos here.

But who exactly is Ines Rau, the gorgeous transgender model who’s posing with Beckford? She’s a 24-year-old New York City-based French model of North African descent who was inspired to come out by Carolina "Tula" Cossey, an English model who’s appeared in a James Bond film and posed for "Playboy." In an interview with Models of the Minute Rau said, "After reading [Tolu’s] book [I Am Woman] at least two times I realized how important it is to assume who you are with no fears."

When asked what she would say to children who are struggling with their gender identities, Rau said: 

Having a sex change is not the answer to insecurities or other issues, a lot of transgender do not understand that it has to be done with reflection: because of a real deep desire to be a woman from a younger age. It’s fabulous the level of happiness- it’s just absolutely impossible to describe. I’m the happiest girl in the world, just being what I wanted to be. You have to love yourself enough to go for it without the fear of being judged or rejected. That’s my advice for them.

Read more of her interview here