Elon Musk’s Transgender Daughter Vivian Exudes Glamour in Black Silk Outfit at Event

During the September 2025 Teen Vogue Summit in Los Angeles, all eyes were on the 21-year-old trans icon, Vivian Jenna Wilson, who delivered high drama and high fashion in a striking black silk outfit that instantly became the talk of social media.

Wearing a strapless satin top with layered ruffle details paired with sleek, tailored black pants, Wilson stunned as she posed with a confidence that was both defiant and dazzling. Her long auburn hair cascaded past her waist, pin-straight and gleaming under the flash of cameras.

A jeweled necklace glinted at her throat, adding just the right touch of rebellion to the otherwise classic ensemble. Strutting against Teen Vogue’s signature pink backdrop, Wilson embodied modern glamor with a cause, claiming space not only as a model but as a voice.

Wilson Opens up About Life as a Trans Woman and Painful Stereotypes

Later, the scene shifted from the pink carpet to the main stage, where Wilson sat down for a raw and emotional conversation with Editor-in-Chief Versha Sharma and Politics Editor Lex McMenamin.

In front of a packed audience, the model tackled the most painful parts of her truth when she revealed, “There’s this widespread misinformation and demonization where, especially right now, they’re painting us all as violent mass shooters. I’m not going to shoot anyone. I’m a model. I don’t even know how to hold a gun.”

During the summit, Wilson also made one thing crystal clear: she’s forging her path without relying on her father, Elon Musk’s fortune. “I’m financially independent,” she said. “I’m making money now. Pre-Teen Vogue [cover], no. People have a lot of assumptions, and you just kinda have to deal with that.”

Mixed Reactions Erupt Online

But public applause didn’t come without backlash as the striking images and video from the event quickly circulated online, sparking a firestorm of comments — some admiring, others chillingly cruel.

“So uncomfortable,” one person sneered. Another criticized, “Poor thing is trying too hard.” A third chimed in, “What in the awkward posing is all this?” Yet another went so far as to speculate, “Something Wrong with That Arm & Hip 🤔.”

Still, fierce defenders of Wilson’s confidence came rushing to her side. “She vogues and isn’t trying to hard she is literally naturally extra like she should be [sic] 😂❤️,” one fan posted, celebrating her dramatic flair. Another declared, “She is gorgeous and is slaying and will only get better with time 👏👏👏👏 werk.”

If the critics hoped to shake her, they failed. Wilson has long refused to sanitize her social media presence to please the masses, saying, “My social media page is kind of me just doing what I feel like and people watch it sometimes. It’s kind of just things that I find funny or entertaining [sic].”

And that might be the secret to her rising power: she doesn’t ask for approval — she takes the spotlight anyway.

The summit appearance came on the heels of Wilson’s breakout runway season at New York Fashion Week, where she modeled for Prabal Gurung and Alexis Bittar.

Wilson Models in Bold Red Gown at Surreal Miss USA–Inspired Show

Wilson commanded attention at Bittar’s Spring/Summer 2026 show, held on September 12, 2025, at the Abrons Theater in New York City. The rising model and outspoken trans rights advocate lit up the runway in a shimmering red gown with flirty ruffled sleeves, a dark-toned Scissor clutch, dramatic gold earrings, and a bold sash that read “Miss South Carolina.”

The show drew its inspiration from the 1991 Miss USA pageant, but with a surreal and subversive twist. Bittar’s casting was no accident. Models — all trans women — wore sashes bearing the names of states such as West Virginia, Florida, Utah, Tennessee, and Alabama.

The designer revealed the motive behind the casting. “I purposely casted all trans women who represented states where trans rights were being stripped [sic],” he explained.

A Pageant of Protest, Wrapped in Glitter and Defiance

Wilson did not hold back as she spoke in a behind-the-scenes interview, blending dry humor with palpable nerves. “Hi, Nylon, this is Vivian Wilson. We’re here backstage at Alexis Bittar and I am Miss South Carolina, a state I have never been to in my life [sic],” she said.

Explaining her role in the pageant, she continued, “My heart is black as abyss, so I just have to, like, activate the, you know, evilness. This is my first show. I’m a little bit nervous, but I did some good prep work for it. Got a full night’s sleep. I’m hyped, I’m ready to get out there.”

With calm conviction, she added, “The states that we are representing are states where trans rights are currently being stripped away in. The one message is that we all have to kind of make a stand against that together. Fashion and art is a great way to go about that [sic].”

Bittar’s concept — equal parts beautiful and disturbing — was summed up in his own words, “Stepping into a dark surreal dream, Miss USA 1991: a touch of Carrie, Virgin Suicides and Blue Velvet. A tale of objectification, predators, and the anxiety of reaching for perfection [sic].”

It was high fashion with a sharp political edge — and Wilson was at the center of it all.

A Softer Stride, a Harder Truth

Less than 24 hours later, Wilson was back — this time trading bold red for dreamlike white. At Gurung’s Spring/Summer 2026 show held at St. Bartholomew’s Church, she floated down the aisle in a sheer cable-knit turtleneck dress with billowy sleeves, layered over a flared mesh skirt, nude heels, and minimal makeup.

The look was ethereal, powerful, and quietly defiant.

Wilson has also never shied away from speaking about her estranged relationship with Musk. In a revealing July 2024 interview with NBC News, she painted a picture of a cold, detached father. “He was cold,” she shared. “He’s very quick to anger. He is uncaring and narcissistic.”

She added, “He was there, I want to say, maybe 10% of the time. That’s generous. He had half custody, and he fully was not there [sic].” She shared a childhood experience from elementary school that still haunts her.

“I was in fourth grade. We went on this road trip that I didn’t know was actually just an advertisement for one of the cars — I don’t remember which one — and he was constantly yelling at me viciously because my voice was too high,” she recalled. “It was cruel.”

In 2022, Vivian Wilson filed to change her name and legally cut ties with Elon Musk. “I no longer live with or wish to be related to my biological father in any way, shape, or form,” she wrote in the filing.

Wilson’s rise is not a story written in sequins and silk alone, as she balances the weight of her father’s shadow, the cruelty of strangers online, and the urgency of a fight for trans visibility on every stage she takes — whether a runway or a summit stage.

Still, she walks forward — unapologetic, unfiltered, and unshaken — proving that for her, fashion is not an escape from reality but a weapon against it. In every look, every laugh, and every sharp truth, the social media personality is not just modeling clothes — she is modeling courage.