A black trans woman has claimed that no major modelling agency will give her a contract because someone like her is "too much of a gamble".
Leyna Bloom, took to Instagram this week to tell her 125,000 followers of the difficulty she has been experiencing in her attempts to break into the fashion world, stating no major modelling agency in New York or Los Angeles would accept her.
Listing the reasons she had been given by various agencies for her rejection, she wrote "cause I am black and trans", "the fashion world is not ready for you" and "come back in 6 months".
Her post spurred outrage online, with Instagram users expressing disbelief that a model of her stature couldn't get a contract. Instagram user cystalmiawest wrote: "You are so perfect, I can’t comprehend. If you don’t have a chance then I don’t either!", while blackburdofficial commented on her post saying: "Its mind boggling because you are one of the most beautiful women ever".
Furthermore, social media user organic.galaxy condemned the fashion industry's attitudes towards trans people, writing: "This is just transphobia. Plus size women as models? Yes. Women of colour? Yes. Trans women? No?? Why not??"
The model, originally from Chicago, Illinois, hit the headlines back in April 2018 when she launched a viral campaign to become the first trans woman of colour to be cast in a Victoria's Secret show.
Gaining more than 33,4000 retweets and almost 107,000 likes, her initial tweet quickly went viral. However, so far, the transgender activist has so far not achieved her goal of appearing on the Victoria's Secret catwalk.
Nonetheless, this doesn't mean that the American has not seen success in her chosen profession. In 2014, Leyna appeared in a C☆NDY Magazine cover feature on prominent trans women, sharing a major magazine cover with 13 other trans women. The photoshoot was the first time she had been open about her trans gender status, having worked as cis-gendered woman in fashion before, and the model described it as "a moment she had been waiting for that changed her life".
Then, in October 2017, she became the first openly transgender woman of colour to appear in Vogue India. "All I can say is, ‘Wow, my name will be forever be affiliated with Vogue — that’s iconic,’” Bloom said of her achievement. "And history has really been made! It’s really a dream come true. I just hope I can keep working with this brand and other brands like Vogue."