From the darkest depths of a challenging childhood and deteriorated mental health, this mixed-race fashion model has fought her way to the top. She opens up about being bullied, how starving herself nearly killed her, and how martial arts helped her reclaim her power and fight against unrealistic beauty ideals
Growing up was confusing for Mia Kang.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, the half-Korean, half-British model recalls her days at Discovery Bay International School, where she would be “bullied for having Asian food in my lunch box at primary school by the white kids. How crazy is that, to be bullied for being Asian in Asia?” says Kang, who is now based in New York. She was also picked on for being overweight.
Tired of the merciless teasing, at 13 years old, Kang hung a poster of Tyra Banks’ 1997 Sports Illustrated cover in her bedroom, halved her weight, and was swiftly scouted by a modelling agency. It was the acceptance she had always hoped for; or so she thought—because even though she had transformed her appearance, Kang was still fighting an internal battle.
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“To this day, I consider Hong Kong to be my home, but I don’t feel like Hong Kong fully accepted me because I am not Chinese. I always felt like an outsider. I never felt Korean enough, I never felt white enough, I never felt I really belonged anywhere,” says Kang, who went to Island School during her secondary school years in Hong Kong. “I remember we used to have Cultural Day, where kids would dress up representing their culture or bring traditional foods for the class to try, and I never knew where I was supposed to be from. As a child forming my sense of self and developing confidence, it was confusing. I always felt like there were these pre-existing boxes that I just didn’t fit into, and it caused me to develop deep, core insecurities.”
The modelling industry at large is notorious for pressuring young girls into looking a certain way. But Kang—along with many of her peers—says this is amplified in Asia, which is known for its rigid, often homogenous beauty standards. “The word ‘slim’ is everywhere—in ads on TV, signs advertising weight loss treatments on the MTR [subway system], in the press when talking about how gorgeous a certain celebrity looks. The societal fat-phobia is not subtle,” says Kang. “I think Asian media has less diversity than in the west. We are only seeing one definition of beauty, which reinforces people’s beliefs and the standards we hold ourselves to.”
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