Chelsea Manning posed in a swimsuit for a Vogue magazine photograph by Annie Leibovitz showing the 29-year-old transgender soldier walking along a beach in a red swimsuit with her hands in her hair.
Manning, hailed as a whistleblower by supporters and called a traitor by critics, was convicted in 2013 for leaking classified information and released from military prison in May after President Barack Obama commuted her 35-year sentence.
She posted the photo on Instagram with the caption "guess this is what freedom looks like."
The Vogue article accompanying her photograph describes Manning's adjustment to life outside of prison after revealing she was transgender the day after her sentencing and describes her attendance at an after-party for the Lambda Literary Awards as "her social debut in her own skin."
"It's not like I'm living in fear or anything," Manning told Vogue. "I'm so glad to be out and about and walking around."
Manning, who was born Bradley Manning, described growing up in a small town north of Oklahoma City.
"I knew that I was different," she told Vogue. "I gravitated more toward playing house, but the teachers were always pushing me toward playing the more competitive games with the boys. I spent so much time wondering, What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I fit in?"
Manning has spoken publicly about her life, her decision to leak classified information, and her impact on the world, including in a New York Times Magazine interview in June in which she is quoted as saying, "From my perspective, the world’s shaped me more than anything else. It’s a feedback loop."
Twitter users shared mixed reaction to Manning's appearance in Vogue.