Who is Leyna Bloom? First Black Asian transgender model in Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue dubbed 'legendary'
Leyna Bloom is the first Black and Asian transgender model to be featured in Sports Illustrated's annual swimsuit issue. Last year, Valentina Sampaio became the first transgender model to appear in the annual swimsuit issue. The magazine, in recent years, has also included plus-size models and Muslim models wearing a hijab and a modest swimsuit.
Before the issue is out later this year, let's have a look at who Leyna Bloom.
RELATED ARTICLES
Who is Leyna Bloom?
Leyna Bloom, who was raised in Chicago, Illinois, is of Black and Filipino descent. She says, “I want people to see that, and to see that you can be respected, appreciated and loved regardless of your body shape, sexuality and the color of your skin." According to MJ Day editor at Sports Illustrated, “Leyna is legendary in the world of activism, strikingly gorgeous, and has an undeniable sense of self that shines through the minute she walks on set."
Leyna, in an Instagram post, shared how grateful she is for the opportunity saying, "This is what it looks like to be in full bloom. Thank you @si_swimsuit for allowing me to showcase my heavenly form. My spirit has reached new levels. This moment is bigger than my wildest infinite dreams. In this moment, I am a representation of all the communities I grew from, and all the communities I’m planting seeds in. Thank you to my friend @mj_day and the entire SI team for confirming me. Before my feet even touched the sand, you all wanted to celebrate the temple of my body and the deepest part of my spiritual universe. Your kindness has given me so much hope in the humanity of entertainment industry. I thank you for that."
One fan on Instagram says, “Such an incredibly groundbreaking moment.” Others encouraged her to continue “breaking barriers”.
This, however, isn't Leyna's first magazine cover. In October 2017, Bloom became the first openly transgender woman of color to appear in Vogue India. These opportunities, however, are ones that Leyna has had to fight for. 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. Through her campaign, she encouraged the media and young women to question Victoria's Secret lack of inclusiveness.
At the time, Leyna tweeted, "All these women of color in the VS fashion show that's amazing right. But they still have way more white girls. It's like every time they added a woman of color they added another white girl. Next year they need to cast trans and curve models all colors not just Caucasians."
All these women of color in the VS fashion show that's amazing right. But they still have way more white girls. It's like every time they added a woman of color they added another white girl. Next year they need to cast trans and curve models all colors not just Caucasians.
— Leyna Bloom (@leynabloom) November 21, 2017
Due to her activism for inclusiveness, Glamour magazine named Leyna Bloom as one of '6 Women Who Are Shaping the Future of Fashion' in their October 2018 issue.
Plenty of firsts have been accredited to Leyna Bloom. In March 2019, Leyna Bloom was the only transgender woman of color to walk at the Paris Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2019 for the Tommy Hilfiger and Zendaya fashion show in an all-black cast.
In May 2019, Leyna made her film debut with 'Port Authority' at the Cannes Film Festival. It was the first time a trans woman of color was in a leading role as a movie feature at a major film festival. Here's hoping that Leyna's career continues to bloom.