Leyna Bloom
Leyna Bloom is an American actress, model, dancer, and activist.
Leyna Bloom | |
|---|---|
![]() Bloom at New York Fashion Week 2018 | |
| Born | 1993/1994 (age 27–28)[1] Chicago, IL |
| Nationality | American |
| Citizenship | American |
| Occupation | Fashion model • dancer • actress • activist |
| Modeling information | |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
| Hair color | Brown |
| Eye color | Brown |
Life and career
Early life
Bloom's father supported her decision to transition.[2]
Her mother is Filipina and her father is African-American.[3]
2014
In 2014, Bloom appeared in a C☆NDY Magazine cover feature on prominent trans women.[4][5]
Bloom was not open about being transgender before that photo shoot.
She decided to come out as she felt liberated sharing a major magazine cover with 13 other trans women.[3]
2017
In October 2017, Bloom became the first openly transgender woman of color to appear in Vogue India.[6]
Bloom is the New York City mother of the house of Miyake-Mugler and made an international name for herself competing in the category of face (ball culture).[7]
As one of few openly transgender models working in the industry, in September 2017, Bloom made news for walking the runway for the Chromat label during New York Fashion Week.[8][9]
In October 2017, Bloom became the first openly transgender woman of color to appear in Vogue India.[6]
2018
On April 9, 2018, she launched a viral campaign on Twitter to be cast as the first openly trans woman to walk in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.[10]
She gained international attention from her viral campaign advocating for the inclusion of all body types on the sexy runway.
Bloom's viral campaign encouraged the news media and young women of her generation to question and challenge Victoria's Secret on their lack of inclusiveness.
Because of Leyna Bloom's comments and the reaction of other models, Victoria Secret's casting direction has been criticized by professionals and fashion journalists.[11]
Later that year, Leyna Bloom was cast as one of the faces of the H&M x Moschino by Jeremy Scott Fall/Winter 2018 international campaign shot by the legendary fashion photographer Steven Meisel.
H&M, the world's biggest fashion retailer, featured Bloom in their campaign images and videos, which were displayed at thousands of stores around the world as well as launched on international billboards and TV spots and advertised in global fashion magazines and newspapers.
She starred in the campaign with Gigi Hadid, Stella Maxwell, Soo Joo Park, Imaan Hammam, and Yasmin Wijnaldum.[12]
Glamour named Leyna Bloom as one of "6 Women Who Are Shaping the Future of Fashion” in the October 2018 issue.[13]
In October 2018, Deadline Hollywood announced that newcomer Leyna Bloom will star opposite Fionn Whitehead in Danielle Lessovitz's first feature film Port Authority, which is backed by executive producer Martin Scorsese.[14]
Port Authority tells a love story that begins at the New York City transportation center and dives into the kiki ballroom scene.

2019
In March 2019, Leyna Bloom was the only transgender woman of color to walk Paris Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2019 at the Tommy Hilfiger x Zendaya fashion show in an all black cast.[15]
On April 18, 2019, the 2019 Cannes Film Festival announced that Port Authority would compete in the Un Certain Regard competition. It was the first film in the festival's 72-year history to feature a trans woman of color in a leading role.[1][7]
In May 2019, her feature film debut in Port Authority at the Cannes Film Festival was the first time a trans woman of color was in a leading role of a movie feature at a major film festival.[7]
2021
In 2021, Bloom became Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue’s first trans cover star. [16][17]
In March 2021, it was announced that Bloom would appear as a model in the July swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated, making her the first openly transgender Black and Asian-American Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue model.[18]
References
- Kaufman, Amy (May 19, 2019). "How Leyna Bloom became the first transgender actress of color to star in a film at Cannes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
- "This trans woman has a message: 'When you accept us, you accept yourself'". BuzzFeed. Facebook. March 11, 2017. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
- "Show Up and Show Out: Leyna Bloom". Chromat. August 8, 2017. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
- Nichols, James (December 16, 2014). "Some Of The World's Most Famous Transgender Women Cover CANDY Magazine". The Huffington Post. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
- Friedman, Megan (December 17, 2014). "The Most Famous Transgender Women Have Their Own Magazine Cover: Yes!". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
- Lubitz, Rachel (October 13, 2017). "Model Leyna Bloom becomes the first out transgender model of color to be featured in 'Vogue' India". Mic.com. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
- "Meet Leyna Bloom, First Trans Woman of Color to Lead a Cannes Premiere". www.out.com. 2019-04-18. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
- "Transgender and plus-size models make this fashion's most diverse runway ever". Yahoo!. September 9, 2017. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
- Tai, Cordelia (February 23, 2017). "Diversity Report: Landmark Gains at New York Fashion Week Fall 2017, but Is It Enough". The Fashion Spot. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
- "Leyna Bloom Is Campaigning to Be the First Trans Woman of Color on the Victoria's Secret Runway". Teen Vogue. 11 April 2018. Retrieved 2019-03-12.
- "Kendall Jenner Posts Support for Transgender Women After Victoria's Secret Exec's Controversial Comments". Teen Vogue. 12 November 2018. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
- "H&M x Moschino Fall 2018 (H&M)". MODELS.com. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
- "These 6 Women Are Making Diversity in Fashion a Reality". Glamour. 23 October 2018. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
- Wiseman, Andreas (2018-10-19). "Martin Scorsese's Sikelia & RT Features Wrap 'Port Authority' With 'Dunkirk' Star Fionn Whitehead, MUBI's First Production". Deadline. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
- "Fall 2019 Runway Diversity Report: Racial and Age Diversity Step Forward, Size and Gender Inclusivity Step Back". theFashionSpot. 2019-03-25. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
- "Leyna Bloom is Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue's first trans cover star". the Guardian. 2021-07-19. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
- "Leyna Bloom Becomes 1st Transgender Model to Cover Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue: 'A Living Testament'". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
- "Leyna Bloom makes history as 1st Black, Asian transgender Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model". Good Morning America. March 16, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
External links
- Leyna Bloom at IMDb
- Leyna Bloom on Instagram
- Leyna Bloom on Twitter
