Zinnia Kumar

Zinnia Kumar became the first Indian & the first South Asian Australian to grace the cover of Australian Vogue in 62 years in April 2021.[11] She is also the first Ecologist to be on the cover of any international edition of Vogue Magazine in 128 years.[11] Zinnia appeared on the Porter Magazine August 2021 cover and has appeared in campaigns and editorials for Glossier, MSGM,[12] Off-White,[13] H&M, Interview Magazine, Vogue India[14], Vogue Australia, Harpers Bazaar [15] among others.[16]

Zinnia was named the 50 Most Influential Global Indians by Vogue India in 2019.[17][18][14]

Zinnia Kumar trained in speaking & presenting at NIDA & RADA, she has been a member of Toastmasters International (Public Speaking Society) for a decade and is a member of The Oxford Union.[19][20] She has presented, spoken and delivered keynotes for British Fashion Council, Vogue,[21][22] Cancer Council, H&M,[23] Australasian Evolution Society,[24] Australian Museum,[24] The Australian[25] among others.[26] Her work covers motivational speaking and advocacy in beauty, inclusion, education, sustainability and female empowerment. [27][28][26]

Zinnia is due to release the first season of her own podcast 'The Dotted Line' interviewing key figures in fashion, beauty & sustainability in mid 2021.[29]

She is currently in production on a presenter led feature length documentary exploring colorism in the Global South.[4]

Zinnia is a field conservation ecologist having worked with Little Blue Penguins, invertebrates and wetland birds for the EPA, Birdlife and Department of Environment among others.[30] She is a former Australian Museum science communicator.[2] Zinnia is a CIEEM accredited Ecologist, sustainability consultant and is the CEO and founder of ecology, sustainability and inclusion consultancy 'The Dotted Line' .[2]

Zinnia Kumar is a vocal colorism and ethnic representation advocate, with a documentary on the topic currently in production.[3][4][5][31][6][32] Zinnia is interested in decolonising and deconstructing beauty ideals and histories of scientific racism.[27][33][34] Her beauty advocacy involves educating, writing & speaking using mixed media.[35] [36]

Zinnia has a keen interest in educational access as a tool for transformation.[27][28] Zinnia spent a decade empowering refugee and disadvantaged children in Australia, India and Thailand.[37][38] She was selected by the Department of Foreign Affairs as a youth ambassador[39] and is a Rotary Youth Leadership Awardee.[2]

Kumar has published two original scientific research papers on negative frequency-dependant selection on human traits: the first about men's facial hair and the second on women's hair colour.[40] Zinnia's study of attractiveness of facial hair in men was the first time negative frequency dependant selection had been applied to a human trait, since Charles Darwin coined the term.[41] The published paper found that attractiveness varies with novelty, less common facial hair types were considered most attractive by men and women. This research went viral on the internet and was covered by many news outlets BBC,[42] The Washington Post,[43] Time,[44] The Guardian,[45] Science Magazine[46] and Forbes,[47] coining a new social term 'Peak Beard'.

Zinnia Kumar was born in Sydney, Australia to Indian parents and grew up in Sydney's south-western suburbs.[28] She attended a disadvantaged high school.[50] Kumar graduated from the University of New South Wales with a Bachelor of Advanced Science, with First Class honours.[6] Zinnia studied at Brasenose College, Oxford University for an MPhil in Modern South Asian Studies.[51][6] She is currently undertaking an MSc in Industrial, Organisational and Business Psychology at University College London focusing on sustainability and CSR.[2]