Your skin colour doesn’t define you, talent does: Bhoomika Yadav

Her first-ever runway show was for Chanel at Paris Fashion Week at the age of 19. And she is only just getting started. The Raipur-born model, now based in Paris, is busy gearing up for her upcoming projects following her high-profile debut. Meet Bhoomika Yadav (20): confident, stunning, unfiltered and unapologetically dark brown. A woman of colour addressing the biases that have shadowed Indian beauty standards for generations, one runway show and one reel at a time. She is not here to fit the mould. She is here to make it irrelevant.

As the world tracks her rise, we caught up with her to talk about the journey so far and what lies ahead.

'Through modelling, I want to change India's beauty standards'

She says, "I want to explore all opportunities that come my way for now." But she does have a clear vision. She wants to continue pursuing her career in global modelling as well as undertake projects in India. "I want to be the face of a beauty brand kyunki maine India mai kisi bhi beauty brand ke billboard pe ek kaali ladki nahi dekhi hai, jahan pe sirf woh akeli ho." She says it won't be easy. "It is so difficult, which is so weird (considering a majority of Indian girls have dusky to dark brown complexion), but because it's difficult, I want to do it."

The reason goes back to something specific. “Jab mai 12 ki umar mai school mai bully ho rahi thi, tab agar mai kisi kaali ladki ko billboard pe dekhti toh shayad mai chidane waale ko comeback de sakti thi ya shayad unki himmat nahi hoti mujhe chidane ki. I want to be that girl on the billboard for the next generation of girls so they can point to it and say, ‘She's there too, you can't mock me for the way I look because just like her, I am pretty too. I want to be the face of India's true beauty."

Bhoomika takes pride in representing authentic Indian beauty on the global stage and is committed to challenging conventional beauty standards in every way she can. She uses her social media as a platform to amplify her voice, knowing it resonates with many, especially young women with dusky to dark brown skin. Through it, she consistently encourages people not to define themselves by their appearance, but to focus on building their skills and pursuing meaningful work.

'Success is the best response to hate'

Having faced comments about her skin colour for most of her life, Bhoomika had hoped that a debut at Chanel might change that. It didn't. "Mere debut ke baad mujhe laga ki ab mujhe hate nahi face karna padega kyunki I had proved myself. Unfortunately, some people just can’t accept the fact that a girl with a dark brown complexion, who belongs to their own world, could reach that stage. I felt depressed looking at the hate that continued. Sure, people were appreciating me, but the ratio was far less than the trolls."

Over time, she's developed a way to deal with it. She calls out what she feels needs to be called out, and she lets the rest go. "Those hate comments reflect an already set mindset. Engaging with every one of them just ends up giving trolls more power. The most befitting reply is achieving even bigger things in life and letting your talent and success speak for themselves."

She's also honest about the deeper problem. "Mujhe lagta hai hate never ending hai." The flawed beauty standards, she says, have been ingrained in all since childhood, and they won't shift quickly. But she believes it can gradually shift, and that the way to start is with the younger generation. "Teaching young people to accept and treat everyone as equally beautiful, regardless of their skin colour and physical appearance and starting that change with yourself first, is key."

Modelling wasn’t part of the plan

Bhoomika Yadav never planned to be a model. "I was preparing to become an income tax officer.” A few people had casually suggested she try modelling. “Perhaps because of my features. I’m taller than most women around me, but I had no knowledge of the industry or any connections, so I never gave it much thought.”

That changed on an ordinary day in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, when she was scouted on the streets of her hometown by the owner of a talent management company, Ninja Singh of Ninjas Model Management that now represents her. “I was asked if I’d be interested in modelling, and honestly, I thought it was a scam. But after a few follow-up meetings and some serious thought, I decided to give it a shot, and I’m glad I did.” Her manager, keen to introduce her through globally recognised brands that showcase in Paris, later connected her with a French modelling agency. The move proved pivotal, as she soon found herself stepping straight onto the global stage, ultimately being handpicked by Chanel and debuting at Paris Fashion Week.

Sharing the debut with Matthieu Blazy

"I treated it more like a work trip," says Bhoomika when asked about arriving in Paris. Like most of us, she was solely focused on giving her best performance. “Kyuki yeh mera first show tha, aur mera first show hi Chanel ke saath tha, maine rehearsals ke time pe khud par bohot pressure liya tha ki mujhe apna best dena hi hai. Rehearsal ke time, mai nervous thi, excited bhi thi aur mazza bhi aa raha tha.”

What helped was a memorable moment of solidarity. The show's creative director, Matthieu Blazy, was also walking into his debut — his first show for Chanel. "He eased my stress. He said, 'Just have your moment, enjoy yourself and don't stress out about the result.'" She took the advice to heart, and it has since become something of a guiding principle for her.

On show day, she got emotional. "When I walked down the runway, I remembered all those who had helped me reach this stage — my parents, my teacher, my friends, my manager, all of whom had constantly motivated me. I felt like they were experiencing the same emotions that I was experiencing."

As for the walk itself, she says, “Jab mai runway pe chal rahi thi, tab mujhe laga ki I was the queen of the universe… I felt like I owned the energy, the stage. Mai bas apne mazze mai chal rahi thi… mai apne hi energy mai invested thi."

On fashion, and what it actually means

Before entering the industry, Bhoomika's relationship with fashion was what most people's is — she liked dressing up, enjoyed experimenting with makeup. After Chanel, it deepened into something more considered. "I have come to realise that fashion is not just about the way you look. It's a way to express and represent yourself. It's also a way through which you speak about society."