
Tshepiso Leeyola Leola on beauty, love and a new journey31 year old Tshepiso Leeyola has paid her dues in the beauty industry, and now this gorgeous transgender woman is ready to shine on YouTube.
by Luh Tsele
23-02-2023 21:21
in Fashion and Beauty
Tshepiso Leeyola during a modelling photoshoot. Image by Tshepiso Leeyola Leola
Meet 31-year-old Tshepiso Leeyola, a transgender make-up artist, model, and now a Youtuber.
--
She talks about all things beauty, her career, LGBTIQ activism, her brand new YouTube channel, and a little bit about her love life to celebrate the last days of the month of love .
Leeyola on the beauty industry and activism Leeyola you are a woman of many talents but would you say that makeup artistry is the one profession that is closest to your heart?
Doing what I love for a living and getting paid for it is a true blessing. Makeup artistry is one of those and it will forever be close to my heart because it launched who Leeyola is in the creative space. It has landed me in spaces I never thought I would and I am truly grateful.
--
Do you consider yourself an LGBTQIA activist?
Definitely. Activism is quite broad. I'm pro-queer rights and I do my activism by sharing my experiences as a trans woman on my social platform now and again. So many queer people always come to me when I'm out or in my DMs telling me how much I've inspired them to come out to their families by just being my true self or how they love the work that I do. I am so thankful that we live in a technological era. We never had that privilege growing up, but young queer people today do.
How important do you think it is for people who have a platform like yours to be queer activists? And why do you think so?
--
Social media is a very powerful tool to get messages across and we use our platforms for different reasons. I use my platforms mainly to promote the work that I do and to make an impact in queer people's lives because life is a journey of discovery for our community. I need to encourage our fellow queer people to take their time in learning, accepting, and embracing their true selves.
The future is transgender How has the beauty industry treated you as a black transgender woman?
In my 7 years in the beauty industry, I have never experienced a scenario where I didn't get a job because of my identity. In the commercial modeling space, being trans was the reason why I got the gigs that I've done so far. I'm truly blessed to have crossed paths with professionals that have trusted and given me opportunities for the work I can do and respected me as a human being regardless of who/what I identify as.
Do you feel that you are held to a different standard in the beauty industry because of your gender identity versus your heterosexual counterparts?
No. In the beauty industry, your work speaks for you. It's about what you can produce. It's never really about your gender or sexuality.
Androgynous model and make up artist Tshepiso Leeyola Leola. Image by Tshepiso Leeyola Becoming a Youtube sensation You recently launched your YouTube channel, tell me what's it about. And what do you hope to achieve with it?
Yes. I'm 3 uploads into it. It's still new but I'm learning and having so much fun. I'm creative at my core and my YouTube channel is just an extension of what I've always been doing on Instagram.
I get to share more of some of the things I get up to in my personal life through my vlogs. I also share makeup and fashion tips. Going forward I'll be having a sit-down with a few trans women having The Trans Talk because I aim to make the channel educational too. And yeah I hope to eventually make money out of it too in the future of course (laughs).
I am sure like most people you get inspired by other incredible people. Who would you say inspires Leeyola in the beauty, and the YouTube vlogging space?
In the beauty space, I would say Stephy Kwenaite because I have worked with her. I call her my industry mother (giggles). She does her work with so much ease and she's always kind enough to share her knowledge with people around her. In the YouTube space, I watch Seithati Letsipa and Xoli Gcabashe's channels religiously and I can confidently tell you that their level of authenticity inspired me to start my channel.
Leeyola on the key to success Your incredible work as a makeup artist has seen your work with some of the best artists in our country. What would you say has been the driving force for your success?
My passion for it. I am a self-taught makeup artist and it took me so long to accept or be comfortable with that title because I feel like titles need to be earned. I'm generally such a perfectionist so I invested so much time, effort, and money in perfecting my craft and it's only then that I could be confident with the make-up artist title and I'm still learning, every day!
Give me 3 tips you would give to someone who wants to get into makeup artistry and modeling.
Doing it for the love of it should be mainly why you want to do it. Always do whatever it takes to be better and greater at whatever it is that you do. Don't be afraid to ask people you look up to, they might be willing to do more than just give a piece of advice.
Who is your favourite queer icon and why?
I can't think of anyone right now but I know a very close friend of mine Tumi Powerhouse is doing amazing things for the queer culture. She's not just a friend but a sister to me. She's an icon to the LGBTIAQ community.
A little bit about love and the future It's the month of love Leeyola so it wouldn't be fair if I did not ask this question. What's your relationship status, and what did your valentine's day look like?
I have been single for almost four months now and Valentine'
Most recent headlines
13/03/2025
(L-R) Stephanie Suganami, Tatanka Means, John Malkovich, Ayo Edebiri, and Juliette Lewis attend the premiere of Opus at Eccles Theatre in Park City. (Photo by...
13/03/2025
Spotify took center stage at the London Book Fair this week, reaffirming our commitment to the audiobook market and showcasing our impact on the publishing indu...
13/03/2025
At Spotify, we work every day to lift up new voices, giving creators the opportunity to live off their art. Through Spotify Audiobooks, our in-house publishing ...
13/03/2025
Every time airborne law enforcement (ALE) teams fly, they expect their equipment to perform. Whether airborne units are conducting support for ground teams, bor...
13/03/2025
Sunday February 9 saw the annual return of the US' biggest television event, the Super Bowl LIX. Jamie McCombs, Fox Sports Audio Consultant / Sr. Audio capt...
13/03/2025
On Sunday March 2, stars across the film industry gathered at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles for the 97th Academy Awards. Production Sound Mixer Paul Sandweis...
13/03/2025
WUPPERTAL, Germany Riedel Communications will feature its new StageLink family of smart edge devices, Smart Audio and Mixing Engine (SAME) and Virtual Smart Pan...
13/03/2025
TAG Video Systems and Harmonic Partner to Deliver Enhanced Real-Time Monitoring ...
13/03/2025
DigitalGlue Invites NAB Visitors to Experience New Features in Managed Storage P...
13/03/2025
FOR-A America Theme - Connecting the Present, Building the Future - Comes to Lif...
13/03/2025
CTIA, the wireless industry association, has named former FCC Chairman Aji Pai as its President and Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1. He replaces Mere...
13/03/2025
he National Association of Broadcasters is urging the FCC to end its investigation of that controversial CBS interview with Kamala Harris stating there is no ...
13/03/2025
MIAMI CBS News & Stations continues to expand its use of augmented and virtual reality technologies with the planned launch of an augmented reality/virtual real...
13/03/2025
Srividhya Srinivasan, co-founder and chief customer success & innovation Officer at Amagi, tells TVBEurope how staying ahead of the latest trends is essential f...
13/03/2025
WASHINGTON FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the agency has launched a massive, new deregulatory initiative that could potentially subject virtually all ...
13/03/2025
SUNNYVALE, Calif. SDVI has announced that it has integrated its Rally media supply chain management platform with the Spectra Vail multi-cloud data management s...
13/03/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has announced that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted a waiver of its local ownership rules to permit Gray Media to acqu...
13/03/2025
TV Tech: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trends at the 2025 NAB Show?...
13/03/2025
Watch Student Naomi Soleils Folk Pop Performance on The Voice The songwriting major sang Stars by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals during the blind auditions.
...
13/03/2025
Roku Debuts NWSL Zone' Within Roku Sports to Spotlight Live Games, Content Feature marks Rokus first women's league-branded zone within service By Bra...
13/03/2025
Pixels, Images, Video, AI - and Us: A Perspective on AI from NDI Inventor Andrew...
13/03/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Lighting Design Group's Steve Brill, Dennis Size ...
13/03/2025
IOC, Comcast NBCU Ink $3B Media-Rights Extension for Olympic Games Through 2036;...
13/03/2025
NCAA March Madness Live Returns with Expanded Availability of MultiView Vertical...
13/03/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Cosm's Devin Poolman on What It Takes To Deliver the Immersive...
13/03/2025
Sky Business, Sky's B2B division, providing connectivity and content to busi...
13/03/2025
Rohde & Schwarz launches R&S NRP140TWG(N) thermal power sensor: A new benchmark ...
13/03/2025
We asked the questions, analysed the answers and now we're excited to share the results of the fifth edition of the ICG Marketing Survey.
Our 2025 survey p...
13/03/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. - March 13, 2025 Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced a breakthrough in video streaming innovation with the launch of new origin capabilitie...
13/03/2025
Haivision Showcases Mission-Critical Video Solutions at SOF Week 2025
Haivision's video wall systems, ISR technology, and DoDIN APL-certified video distri...
13/03/2025
Company Leads the Way with New Software-Based Production Platform, 12G Switcher,...
13/03/2025
A new Apple Immersive concert experience, Metallica, is coming to Apple Vision Pro this Friday, March 14. Filmed in Mexico City during the sold-out second-year ...
13/03/2025
Here is your host, Patrick Kielty!
Shake your Shamrocks, Patrick Kielty will be...
13/03/2025
This St. Patrick's weekend, RT invites you to celebrate all things Irish, showcasing the very best of Irish sport, entertainment and live coverage from the...
13/03/2025
What's next in AI is at GTC 2025. Not only the technology, but the people and ideas that are pushing AI forward - creating new opportunities, novel solution...
13/03/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
By combining T-Mobile's robust network, Thal...
13/03/2025
Bundle up - GeForce NOW is bringing a flurry of Blizzard titles to its ever-expanding library.
Prepare to weather epic gameplay in the cloud, tackling the genr...
13/03/2025
AI is leveling up the world's most beloved games, as the latest advancements...
13/03/2025
PC game modding is massive, with over 5 billion mods downloaded annually. Mods p...
12/03/2025
O Spotify acaba de lan ar o relat rio Loud & Clear deste ano, uma vis o transpar...
12/03/2025
Spotify acaba de presentar el informe Loud & Clear de este a o, una mirada trans...
12/03/2025
Ramadan, a period of profound spiritual significance for Muslims worldwide, is a time for fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. Enrich your experience thi...
12/03/2025
Spotify has just unveiled this year's Loud & Clear report, a transparent loo...
12/03/2025
More than 70% of FAST programming has been produced since 2010, according to new Gracenote report
NEW YORK March 12, 2025 Gracenote, the content data busin...
12/03/2025
GEONA, Nev. Independent digital and linear advertising rep firm Viamedia will adopt cloud-based ShowSeeker Pilot as its primary ad campaign and order management...
12/03/2025
BRUSSELS Mediagenix has announced that Wael Yasin has joined the company as sales director Central Europe....
12/03/2025
LONDON A new study highlights opportunities for shoppable TV and the massive impact online consumer spending is having on the economy, with Omdia predicting tha...
12/03/2025
CUPERTINO, Calif. Interra Systems has announced that Comcast Technology Solutions has integrated recent updates to BATON Version 9 into its operations....
12/03/2025
Nevion announces new 400G addition to its eMerge SDN media fabric offering
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
High-capacity switch enhances existi...
12/03/2025
DaVinci Resolve Studio Delivers Cinematic Sound for Adam Bol
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
Feature film relies on DaVinci Resolve Studio for ...