“You have to let them know that you are powerful—that you are beautiful.” That’s what Leyna Bloom said to the Filipino participants during her Face Category class last May. Everyone eagerly listened as she showed them how to pose, project, and tell a story through their body. When Anita Baker’s “Good Love” song hit the speakers, everyone was taken to Leyna’s full fantasy. It’s like the soulful voice of the songstress flowed through her body like energy. The moment she gracefully framed her face, made gentle facial expressions, elegantly unraveled her locks, and seductively posed, everyone in the room knew they were in the presence of a true New York City Ballroom icon.
But the goal of the class was not only to immerse Filipinos more into the world of Ballroom. It was about building their confidence and taking up spaces through creative expressions, which Leyna has been passionately doing throughout her career.
Leyna is among the many artists with Filipino roots trailblazing America’s glimmering entertainment and fashion scenes. She is known as the mother of the house of Miyake-Mugler, the first trans woman of color to be on the cover of “Sports Illustrated” magazine, and an actress portraying Pretentia Khan in the final season of “Pose” TV series and starred in the movie “Port Authority,” the latter premiered at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in 2019. She did all of that to break barriers, champion trans representation, and show the beauty that comes from a proud Afro-Filipina like her. And as she made her way back into the country, she was on a mission to empower everyone by loving their own kind of beauty.
This is not the first time Leyna visited the Philippines. She described her first memories of home as something black and white. “There wasn’t so much color. It was very like, sensationalizing the white Filipinas,” she said.
But growing up abroad didn’t hinder Leyna to stay in touch with her Filipino roots. In fact, unlike many who tried to hide it, she is proud to have Filipino blood running in her veins. A great deal of that is all thanks to her mother, Charena, who was born in the Blaan indigenous community of Mindanao, according to her. What she finds special about Filipino culture is how its foundation is built on familial love and respect.
“The strength of the Filipino people to not give up on each other is really powerful,” she told Manila Bulletin Lifestyle. “We are rooted in family—we are rooted in taking care of people.”
Although she is not the first Afro-Filipina in the local modeling scene, she is among the first to stand in front of the cameras as a transwoman model of color. According to her, fashion photographer BJ Pascual led her to be signed as a model for Elite Model Management Manila in 2016. While there was no doubt about her modeling skills, she confessed that the local scene then wasn’t that ready for someone like her.
“They told my agent, ‘Hi, we met Leyna and we love working with her. The photos came out amazing. But why didn't you tell us that she was transgender.’” she recalled. “My agent was like, ‘You booked a beautiful model, who did a great job and you love the photos, why do you care?’”
From then on, Leyna made sure that in whatever she is doing, be it here in the Philippines or abroad, everyone knows her story, her heritage, and what she represents. For her, it is easy to give people power. The real battle is claiming your power and using it to be seen.
“We don’t ask how we are born, we don’t ask the parents we are born into, we just have to make the most out of it,” Leyna said. “I feel like in society, we are not raised like that. We are raised that more people are powerful than us. What I see is that we are equal to them and they are equal to us. We are all on the same level. We all deserve a chance. We need to break that glass ceiling and start over.”
And break the glass ceiling she did. Since gracing the pages of magazines, walking down international runways, and showcasing her acting prowess on the screen, Leyna contributed a lot to the movement of trans visibility and Filipino representation in America. She became a spokesperson for an international beauty brand, got invited to the Met Gala, and even had the opportunity to talk with Kamala Harris, the first African-American and first Asian-American vice president of America.
“Let’s do it not just to do it. Let’s do it right,” Leyna said. “For me, who has been working in the industry for almost 15 years, I’m not just a model, I’m an activist. I go around the world to fight for inclusion and positivity. I fight for queer people and spaces.”
“For so many years, people like me have been eliminated and not invited to certain spaces,” she added. “So, the fact that we are now in spaces we’re not invited to before, we have to take full advantage of the opportunities, and that means sacrifice, going out in the world, and showing up for your community even if you’re the only person there... I came into this world to do something powerful and tomorrow is not a promise. So, while I’m still living, I’m going to kick ass.”
After years of being away from the Philippines, Leyna is happy to see how “queer people live so freely,” and how they are represented the way they should be and not just for comedic acts. But still, more is needed to be done. And if her brothers and sisters can’t find the courage to voice the change they want to see, trust that Leyna will be here to help the minorities be seen and heard.
“If you love something, if you believe in something, you stand up for it, you show up for it,” she said. “Regardless of how big or small is it, if your heart is in it, if you believe in it, nothing can stop you.”
Creative direction and styling: John Legaspi
Sittings editor: Jerico Villamonte
Photography: Haian Naya of Metrophoto Brands
Makeup: Karmela Jabla of MAC Cosmetics
Hairstyling: Bryan Eusebio, Aveda partner stylist
Videography and shoot assistants: Ariana Maralit and Jessica Pag-iwayan
Cover design: Ariana Maralit
Location: Espacio Creativo Escolta
Special thanks to Elite Model Management Manila, Metrophoto, and “Wedding Essentials” publisher Kitten Zapata.
Aveda Philippines is located at Mega Fashion Hall Megamall, Greenbelt 5, Rustans Makati, LOOK SM Aura, LOOK Mall of Asia, and online at Lazada, Rustans.com, and Zalora. Follow @avedaphilippines on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.