Emira D'Spain

Emira D'Spain (born October 8, 1996) is an Eritrean/Polish-American model, former beauty director, and social media influencer. In 2022, she became the first Black transgender woman to model for Victoria's Secret. She has also been a cover girl for Glamour and was featured in Nylon. D'Spain has modeled for Fenty Beauty, UGG, Anastasia Beverly Hills, and NARS Cosmetics. She worked as the beauty director for Paper prior to the magazine's folding in 2023. D'Spain is a beauty content creator on TikTok, where she has over one million followers. On TikTok, she posts Get Ready With Me Videos, which have received over 85 million views.
Early life and education
D'Spain was born on October 8, 1996, in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates to an Eritrean mother and a Polish father. After living in Dubai for three years, her family emigrated to the United States. She lived in Kansas City and Tampa before her family settled in Dallas, Texas, where she attended a fine arts school. She grew up doing competition dance.
She attended New York University, first majoring in Global Liberal Studies before transferring to the university's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development and Stern School of Business, graduating magna cum laude with a degree in marketing and communications. D'Spain also studied in Paris her freshman year of college.
Career
Prior to becoming a beauty influencer, D'Spain worked for a marketing agency and a beauty editorial. She is signed with Collxab, a New York-based marketing agnecy. She was featured on the cover of Galore Magazine as "TikTok's It-Girl". She also was featured in Nylon.
D'Spain has modelled and been in advertisements for NARS Cosmetics, Anastasia Beverly Hills, UGG, Fenty Beauty, and Google. She was the first black transgender woman to model for Victoria's Secret. Her first online partnership with Victoria's Secret was a TikTok video titled Single Girl's Guide to the Perfect Valentine's Day as part of their 2022 Valentine's Day campaign.
She is known as @XOXOEMIRA on TikTok, where she has over one million followers, and on Instagram, where she has over 100,000 followers. On her TikTok account, D'Spain posts Get Ready With Me videos, which have received over 85 million views. Prior to the magazine's folding in 2023, she had a Snapchat show called Snatchural with Paper. She also worked as the Beauty Director at Paper, creating beauty content for their website and social media platforms and curated their YouTube channel.
Personal life
D'Spain changed her given name to "Emira", after the Arabic word "Amira", meaning "princess". She underwent gender confirmation surgery. She has also had two rhinoplasty procedures.
She shared on The Conversational Podcast that she was sexually assaulted in Paris in 2018.
References
Living people
1996 births
21st-century Emirati women
American female models
American magazine people
American people of Polish descent
American people of Eritrean descent
American TikTokers
African-American female models
Emirati emigrants to the United States
Emirati entertainers
Emirati expatriates in France
Emirati female models
Emirati people of Eritrean descent
Emirati people of Polish descent
Entertainers from Dallas
Female models from Texas
Emirati LGBT people
LGBT media personalities
LGBT people from Texas
LGBT TikTokers
New York University alumni
People from the Emirate of Sharjah
Social media influencers
Transgender female models
Transgender in the Middle East
Transgender women entertainers
Women from Dubai