Leyna Bloom

Leyna Bloom is a transgender model, dancer, actor, and activist.[1] In October 2017, Bloom became the first openly transgender woman of color to appear in Vogue India.[2]

Early Life

Leyna Bloom
Born Chicago, IL
Residence New York City
Nationality American
Citizenship American
Occupation Fashion model Dancer Actor Activist
Modeling information
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Hair color Brown
Eye color Brown

Born in Chicago to a Filipina mother and an African American father, Bloom knew from a young age that she was a woman. Bloom faced a turbulent childhood and was raised by her father following her mother's deportation. Fortunately, he supported her decision to transition.[1][3][4]

Career

Dance Career

A versatile dancer, Bloom is trained in ballet, lyrical, hip hop, jazz modern, tap, and vogue.[1] She took her first dance classes in sixth grade, and performed on the American Ballet Theatre stage with Misty Copeland by the age of 14.[5] She received a full dance scholarship to the Chicago Academy for the Arts as a teenager, however, in spite of this early promise and opportunity, she chose to give up on a traditional path to pursue her authentic self. After dropping out of the Academy because the men's scholarship did not allow her to dance as a woman, she left Chicago and moved to New York City, where she faced homelessness.[6][7]

Ballroom

Bloom survived by working at a restaurant during the daytime. At night she earned cash prizes in the underground ballroom scene, voguing and serving face on the floors of vacant Harlem theaters and dance halls. In this world, she found acceptance and a safe space to be herself while competing with other queer youth. Her talent and beauty earned her status and recognition among her peers.[1] [7]

Modeling Career

Meanwhile her modeling career took off as transgender figures gained acceptance in the media. In 2014, Bloom appeared in a C☆NDY Magazine cover feature on prominent trans women.[8][9] 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.[4] As one of few openly transgender models working in the industry, Bloom made news for walking the runway for the Chromat label during New York Fashion Week in 2017.[10][11] In October 2017, Bloom became the first openly transgender woman of color to appear in Vogue India.[2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Leyna Bloom". IMDb. Retrieved 2018-08-25.
  2. 1 2 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.
  3. ↑ "This trans woman has a message: 'When you accept us, you accept yourself'". BuzzFeed. Facebook. March 11, 2017. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  4. 1 2 "Show Up and Show Out: Leyna Bloom". Chromat. August 8, 2017. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Beauty is trans-formed on Logo's new web feature". The Gayly. September 7, 2017. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  6. ↑ Allen, Maya. "How Trans Model Leyna Bloom Went From Homelessness to the Pages of Vogue". Byrdie. Retrieved 2018-08-25.
  7. 1 2 "From the streets of NYC to the pages of 'Vogue,' meet — and fall in love with — model Leyna Bloom". Retrieved 2018-08-25.
  8. ↑ Nichols, James (December 16, 2014). "Some Of The World's Most Famous Transgender Women Cover CANDY Magazine". The Huffington Post. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  9. ↑ Friedman, Megan (December 17, 2014). "The Most Famous Transgender Women Have Their Own Magazine Cover: Yes!". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Transgender and plus-size models make this fashion's most diverse runway ever". Yahoo!. September 9, 2017. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  11. ↑ 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.
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