The moment I sat down with Vivian Jenna Wilson, daughter of Elon Musk, it was clear she was carrying more than just the pressures of New York Fashion Week.
Thirty seconds into our conversation, she grew visibly emotional, the distance from her Los Angeles home weighing on her.
“I am very blessed to have a community in LA and a circle of friends that I hold very dear,” Vivian said, holding back tears. “I miss them a lot.”
Backstage at Fashion Week
Vivian, 21, was in hair and makeup, preparing for her fourth runway show in just four days—a whirlwind debut as a runway model.
Sleep-deprived but determined, she has quickly become one of the most talked-about faces of the week, walking for brands like Prabal Gurung, Dauphinette, and Chris Habana in a show sponsored by Pornhub.
Modeling, she explained, is a newfound passion.
Until recently, most of the world knew her only as Elon Musk’s estranged daughter, who publicly came out as a transgender woman in 2020 and became an outspoken advocate for trans rights.
The Shadows of Public Life
With visibility comes scrutiny. Vivian admitted she receives “creepy” and even threatening messages online, though she downplayed the danger. “Everyone’s gotten death threats. It’s 2025, so, like, whatever,” she shrugged.
Still, she’s managing to merge her activism with her modeling career.
In one notable show, Alexis Bittar’s “Miss USA 1991,” Vivian walked alongside an all-trans cast, each model wearing a sash representing a state accused of rolling back trans rights.
Shaping Her Own Identity
When asked how she wants to be known, Vivian paused thoughtfully.
“Pink News called me a trans icon, so that’s a start,” she said, then quickly softened the statement. “That sounded so conceited.”
Her presence backstage is magnetic—fans and admirers crowd around her, grabbing her arm and expressing their admiration.
On the runway, she receives loud cheers while striding in a challenging chain-link dress and white stilettos, fully embracing her moment.
Responding to the National Debate
The country has been reeling from the intersection of free speech, trans rights, and gun violence, particularly after the assassination of conservative, anti-trans activist Charlie Kirk.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox confirmed that the alleged shooter, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was romantically involved with his transgender roommate, Lance Twiggs.
Vivian, exhausted from the week’s shows, admitted, “[It] is something I am too f***ing tired to talk about coherently.”
Even though she frequently addresses such issues on social media, she was candid about the emotional toll.
After a tragic school shooting in Minneapolis involving a transgender gunman, she criticized the Trump Justice Department’s consideration of new gun control measures targeting trans people.
“Trans people are not mass murderers,” she said firmly. “Trans people have been vilified by the media—especially conservative media—for a while, and this is just the next step of unfairly labeling all trans people as inherently violent, which is fing crazy.
I am a runway model—I am not going to shoot anyone with a gun, like, give me a fing break.”
She added that conflating trans identities with violent acts could have serious real-world consequences.
“As far as I’m aware, the person who shot Charlie Kirk was not trans, so I don’t understand how one plus one is equaling three.”
Prioritizing Rest and Normalcy
After finishing her runway walk, Vivian slipped out of her heels and shared what’s next for her: a much-needed break.
“The first thing I’m going to do is sleep, go hang out with my friends, play [League of Legends], and then we’re going to get back to it,” she said with a laugh.
“And I don’t know exactly what that means,” she added, “but we’re getting back to it.”