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Let’s start at the beginning. How did you first find your way into modeling — and was it something you always saw for yourself?
I first started modeling when I was around 16 years old – at the time it was just something that was new and fun and I didn’t really take it too seriously. I always wanted to be a fashion designer, and that was what I ended up doing professionally for 5 years – I had my own clothing line. That was amazing. But over time I wasn’t sure if that was really what I wanted to do – so I had a bit of a career changing moment and pivoted back to modeling. That’s when I really started to take it seriously, when I realized that this can actually be a full-time job for me. And that’s when I started to work with bigger clients on bigger campaigns. It was just something that I kind of stumbled upon, but I’m so glad that I did.
Photo by Ruben Caballero
You’ve worked with brands like Guess, Skims, and Skechers. How did those experiences shape the way you see the industry — and your role within it?
I think more than anything else – I just felt so honored that these major brands wanted to work with me. Seeing my face on a huge screen in Guess stores in the US and Canada was a major pinch me moment for me. I remember I used to go shopping with my mom when I was younger, and Guess was one of the stores that she used to shop at. It’s surreal that 20 years later, my face would be in the store. It also makes me really happy to see how inclusivity has evolved in the fashion industry. 20 years ago, the models were all predominantly white. Now, we’re seeing all kinds of different skin tones being featured regularly by brands, and I just feel so happy and honored to be a part of that.
At what point did you start feeling the pull to create your own content — to be the one building the story, not just part of it?
I started creating my own content at the start of 2024 and I honestly just realized how much fun it is. I’ve always been in front of the camera, but when you’re modeling, you’re more of a blank canvas for a brand to paint you in their colors than you are your own person, if that makes sense. I can’t control what the final product looks like – that’s totally up to the brand. But when I create content, I can be authentically myself and it’s so much more fun because the final product is authentically me. And that felt really special to me. And above all else, creating content on TikTok is just so fun and unserious. I can turn on the camera 15 minutes after waking up and show everyone if the heatless curls I tried last night were a success or a failure. It feels like I’m just making videos to send to my friends. And I love that – that unpolished, authentic side of it all. Modeling is very much polished – the final outcome has to be perfect. But on TikTok I can just be a lot more real.
Within just over a year, you’ve worked with brands like L’Oréal, Revlon, and Givenchy Beauty — not exactly small names. How did those partnerships come together?
It feels so crazy to say, but somehow these brands all found me and just emailed me asking to work together. It’s so crazy. I mean, L’Oréal and Revlon are legacy brands that I grew up using – I think the first mascaras I ever tried were their drugstore mascaras. And now, I’ve worked with both of those brands multiple times. I just did my best with creating high quality content and posting consistently (although sometimes I wasn’t so consistent – oops) and eventually the brands started to pop up in my inbox. I always fly back home to Canada to film these brand deals so I usually work with them in batches – but it’s still so crazy to me that I’m working with these brands that I’ve been buying and using their products since way before I ever started creating content. I think if you just put in the work, brands will find you. That’s how it happened for me!
In a saturated space, your content feels specific and intentional. What’s your creative POV — and how did you develop it?
My creative POV is honestly just being myself haha. I think everyone really just brings something so different to the table. We all grew up in different environments, we like different things, we talk differently, etc – so even when two creators make the same type of content, as long as they’re both authentic to themselves that video can turn out so differently for each creator. That’s the beauty of social media is you get to see such different people all come together to create content that is a reflection of themselves and do their thing. I love it. So I didn’t really do anything to create my “creative POV”, I guess I’m just intentional with trying to be as authentically myself as I can when I create content. especially on TikTok. People don’t want the picture perfect version of you that they see on instagram on TikTok, they want to see who you really are with all your quirks and stuff so I’m definitely a LOT less filtered on TikTok, which is also just so much more fun for me. I think with the nature of TikTok, because it’s a lot more chill than Instagram – it’s a lot easier to create content without the pressure of things needing to be perfect. I find that Instagram is more like a highlight reel, whereas TikTok is kind of like a diary. And everyone’s diary is going to be different!
Photo by Ruben Caballero
What does a typical content day look like for you — from ideation to execution?
The thing that I love about content creation as a job is that every single day is different. Every brand deal is different, every video I film is different. Every day I switch up the way I do my makeup just a little bit, I get to play with different products every day. But having a routine is so important because if I don’t have one, I’ll start to slack off and be all over the place so I try to stick to a routine as much as I can. I usually wake up around 7am, and depending on the day I’ll either go to a Pilates class (I know, so typical) or I’ll drive up to the barn in the valley where I ride horses. I like to start my day with movement if I can. If I don’t have something active planned that morning, I’ll walk my dog for a bit and take my time to make a nice breakfast and get a head start on content. I usually start filming anywhere between 11am – 2pm, depending on what needs to be filmed that day. Whenever I get an idea for a video, I write it down on my phone otherwise I’ll forget. That way when I sit down to film, I can reference the list to guide me. Some days I’m re-doing my makeup three times, taking it on and redoing it for multiple different brand deal videos. Some days, I just do one look, film one video, and then go into editing. I always edit after I film, which I always dread because editing is such a bore haha. On an average day, I’ll probably spend 1-2 hours filming, and 1-2 hours editing. Then I’ll either send the finished product to the brand, or I’ll save the video as a draft and have it ready to be posted the next day. I find that preparing things to post the night before is a life saver, because every day you wake up and you already have a video ready to go.
It’s a lot to balance — being visible, creative, and authentic all at once. How do you stay grounded?
I recently took up horseback riding as a hobby, and I find that time away from my phone is really nice to keep me grounded. Or taking my dog on an hour-long walk in my neighborhood. Basically, anything I can do to be off my phone for a few hours. Being a content creator, you’re always on your phone. If you’re not creating content, you have to consume content because I’ve found that at least for me, I’m a much better creator when I’m also a consumer. Which kind of sucks but it is what it is. I’ll go through weeks or sometimes months where I don’t scroll TikTok at all, but I’ve noticed that I’m a much better creator during periods where I spend at least 30 minutes to an hour consuming content on TikTok as well. That way I also can keep up with trends, which is a huge opportunity for growth. It’s so much screen time. So I find for me, it’s really important to find time in the day to get outside and basically touch grass haha.
Beyond numbers and views, what kind of impact are you hoping to leave in this space?
Representation has always been important to me. Being Asian and growing up not seeing a lot of women who looked like me in mainstream Western media really had an impact. I never really felt like I could fit into the mold of what was considered beautiful, because the faces I saw being celebrated in mainstream media just never looked like me. It affected my self esteem in ways that I never even fully understood until I got older.
Through my modeling work, social media work, and other venues, I hope I can help create a kind of presence that I didn’t have when I was younger. I want younger girls who look like me to feel seen, and feel like they do belong here and that they are beautiful too. That you don’t have to be blonde to be beautiful. Teaching people how to do makeup and creating vlog style content is fun, but I think my greater purpose is just being a part of a community and providing that representation for younger girls who look like me, so they can feel seen.
Photo by Ruben Caballero
You’ve also acted — from indie films to a small role on Amazon’s Cruel Intentions series. What drew you to acting, and what keeps you curious about it?
Yes!! I love acting, it’s actually what got me back into modeling as an adult which somehow eventually led to content creation. I just love storytelling. I think there are a lot of mediums for storytelling, modeling and social media included, but acting is the pinnacle of storytelling. I still go to acting class every week in LA, and I love it. I love finding a script, diving into it and into the character, and doing the work and performing the scene with my scene partner. For my past 5 years, I’ve always considered myself an actor first, model second, and content creator last. Sadly, it is extremely difficult to get momentum in an acting career without parents who are in the industry, especially as a person of color. Acting has always been my north star and I’m still actively pursuing it – I have agents in Canada & LA and I’m auditioning. It’s just really hard to get a big break, and something needs to pay the bills in the meantime! But I genuinely do feel so lucky that my “pay bills in the meantime” job is something that I wholeheartedly enjoy.
Photo by Ruben Caballero
You’re clearly building something bigger than just a moment. What’s next? What are you manifesting in this next chapter?
I’m kind of just enjoying life right where I’m at right now. I think this past year, I’ve really come to understand what it means to enjoy the journey. I don’t know what’s next for me. I love what I’m doing right now, I honestly wouldn’t really wish to change anything. I’d love to continue growing my social media & career as a content creator, I’d love to continue modeling, and I hope to work on exciting projects as an actor in the near future. I definitely want kids in the next few years, but I’m also getting to the age where I know it’s coming, so I’m really just trying to live in the moment and cherish this life where the only other living being I’m responsible for is my dog haha! I really do feel it all around me, that transitory phase where things are starting to change – friends are getting married, some are starting to have kids. It really is starting to feel like the end of an era so I’m just trying to enjoy the last few years of my late twenties. But I’m so excited for the future! Who knows where the river will take me.
Presented by APG
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