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[[File:Mia Kang in dress on UPROXX.jpg|right|thumb|upright|Kang on [[Uproxx]] in 2017]]
[[File:Mia Kang in dress on UPROXX.jpg|right|thumb|upright|Kang on [[Uproxx]] in 2017]]


Mia Kang was born and raised in Hong Kong, though she has [[Switzerland|Swiss]] [[nationality]].<ref name="C-Heads">{{cite web |last=Engel |first=Lauren |title=New Generation: Mia Kang |url=https://www.c-heads.com/2016/01/14/new-generation-mia-kang/ |website=C-Heads Magazine |access-date=21 March 2020 |date=14 January 2016}}</ref><ref name="Harper's Bazaar"/><ref name="SIWinner"/> Her father is British and her mother is South Korean; they met while living in Taiwan, then moved to Hong Kong for business.<ref name="Yahoo"/><ref name="HalfKorean">{{cite web |last=Sanders|first=David Lee|title=Interview with Mia Kang |url=http://www.halfkorean.com/?page_id=11649 |website=HalfKorean.com |access-date=19 March 2020 |date=11 July 2018}}</ref><ref name="Harper's Bazaar">{{cite news |last1=Sauers |first1=Jenna |title=The Fashion Industry Is Obsessed With Size. This Model Doesn't Care for Those Rules. |url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/a22674366/the-fashion-industry-is-obsessed-with-size-this-model-is-challenging-the-status-quo/ |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=[[Harper's Bazaar]] |date=22 August 2018}}</ref> Both parents were [[academics]], with her father being a [[physicist]] from [[Oxford University]].<ref name="C-Heads"/><ref name="Post2017">{{cite news |last1=Gollayan |first1=Christian |title=This SI model is also a trader and a pro fighter |url=https://nypost.com/2017/03/25/this-si-model-is-also-a-trader-and-a-pro-fighter/ |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=[[New York Post]] |date=25 March 2017 |language=en}}</ref> She has four older half-siblings (two half-sisters with the same father and a Taiwanese mother, and two half-brothers with the same mother and a different British father), but they lived in other parts of the world as she was growing up.<ref name="C-Heads"/><ref name="HalfKorean"/>
Mia Kang was born and raised in Hong Kong, though she has [[Switzerland|Swiss]] [[nationality]].<ref name="C-Heads">{{cite web |last=Engel |first=Lauren |title=New Generation: Mia Kang |url=https://www.c-heads.com/2016/01/14/new-generation-mia-kang/ |website=C-Heads Magazine |access-date=21 March 2020 |date=14 January 2016}}</ref><ref name="Harper's Bazaar"/><ref name="SIWinner"/> Her father is British and her mother is South Korean; they met while living in Taiwan, then moved to Hong Kong for business.<ref name="Yahoo">{{cite news|last1=Freydkin|first1=Donna|title=How Curvy ‘Sports Illustrated’ Swimsuit Model Mia Kang Stopped Hating Herself|work=Yahoo! Style|url=https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/how-curvy-sports-illustrated-swimsuit-model-mia-kang-stopped-hating-herself-195440917.html|access-date=21 March 2020}}</ref><ref name="HalfKorean">{{cite web |last=Sanders|first=David Lee|title=Interview with Mia Kang |url=http://www.halfkorean.com/?page_id=11649 |website=HalfKorean.com |access-date=19 March 2020 |date=11 July 2018}}</ref><ref name="Harper's Bazaar">{{cite news |last1=Sauers |first1=Jenna |title=The Fashion Industry Is Obsessed With Size. This Model Doesn't Care for Those Rules. |url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/a22674366/the-fashion-industry-is-obsessed-with-size-this-model-is-challenging-the-status-quo/ |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=[[Harper's Bazaar]] |date=22 August 2018}}</ref> Both parents were [[academics]], with her father being a [[physicist]] from [[Oxford University]].<ref name="C-Heads"/><ref name="Post2017">{{cite news |last1=Gollayan |first1=Christian |title=This SI model is also a trader and a pro fighter |url=https://nypost.com/2017/03/25/this-si-model-is-also-a-trader-and-a-pro-fighter/ |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=[[New York Post]] |date=25 March 2017 |language=en}}</ref> She has four older half-siblings (two half-sisters with the same father and a Taiwanese mother, and two half-brothers with the same mother and a different British father), but they lived in other parts of the world as she was growing up.<ref name="C-Heads"/><ref name="HalfKorean"/>


As a teenager, Kang studied at and eventually graduated from the international [[Island School]] in Hong Kong,<ref name="SCMP2016"/><ref name="SCMP2014">{{cite news |last1=Zhang |first1=Jing |title=Hong Kong top models Angie Ng, Mia Kang and Kimberly Verge talk style |url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/48hrs/article/1583801/hong-kong-top-models-angie-ng-mia-kang-and-kimberly-verge-talk-style |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=South China Morning Post |date=4 September 2014 |language=en}}</ref> but never felt like she fit in. She says the Asian kids would socialize together and the western kids would socialize together, but she was half Korean and half British, and never felt she belonged with either.<ref name="C-Heads"/>
As a teenager, Kang studied at and eventually graduated from the international [[Island School]] in Hong Kong,<ref name="SCMP2016"/><ref name="SCMP2014">{{cite news |last1=Zhang |first1=Jing |title=Hong Kong top models Angie Ng, Mia Kang and Kimberly Verge talk style |url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/48hrs/article/1583801/hong-kong-top-models-angie-ng-mia-kang-and-kimberly-verge-talk-style |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=South China Morning Post |date=4 September 2014 |language=en}}</ref> but never felt like she fit in. She says the Asian kids would socialize together and the western kids would socialize together, but she was half Korean and half British, and never felt she belonged with either.<ref name="C-Heads"/>

Kang grew up bullied and overweight, though a [[Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue|''Sports Illustrated'' Swimsuit Issue]] cover with model [[Tyra Banks]] hung on her wall.<ref name="SCMP2016"/> When she was 13, a doctor told her she was obese, and at risk of weight related [[diabetes]]. So she went to the other extreme and essentially [[fasting|stopped eating]], halving her weight in a couple of months.<ref name="Yahoo">{{cite news |last1=Freydkin |first1=Donna |title=How Curvy ‘Sports Illustrated’ Swimsuit Model Mia Kang Stopped Hating Herself |url=https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/how-curvy-sports-illustrated-swimsuit-model-mia-kang-stopped-hating-herself-195440917.html |access-date=21 March 2020 |work=Yahoo! Style}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Spruch-Feiner |first1=Sara |title=How One Model's Sport Helped Her Overcome Addiction And An Eating Disorder |url=https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/a23012132/model-mia-kang-overcoming-eating-disorder/ |access-date=29 January 2021 |work=[[Women's Health]] |date=1 October 2018}}</ref> She says that she was around {{convert|86|kg|lb}} before dropping to around {{convert|43|kg|lb}}; she was size 14 and became size 0.<ref name="Scott201703">{{cite news |last1=Scott |first1=Mathew |title=From swimsuit model to mixed martial artist: Hong Kong-raised model Mia Kang prepares for her muay thai debut |url=https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2079898/swimsuit-model-mixed-martial-artist-hong-kong-raised-mia-kang |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=South China Morning Post |date=17 March 2017 |language=en}} Also available as {{cite news |last1=Scott |first1=Mathew |title=Swimsuit model Mia Kang debuts to muay thai |url=http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/world/2019/04/672_226057.html |access-date=22 March 2020 |work=[[Korea Times]] |date=21 March 2017 |language=en}}</ref> At the same time, she grew {{convert|6|in|cm}}.<ref name="HalfKorean"/> The boys who had bullied her now asked her out on dates.<ref name="Yahoo"/>


Getting thin led to her being scouted as a model while still 13 years old, by her dance teacher.<ref name="SCMP2016"/><ref name="SCMP2014"/> One of her first jobs was a [[Levi's]] campaign, and she remembers being surprised seeing her picture in shops in [[Times Square (Hong Kong)|Times Square]].<ref name="SCMP2014"/>
Getting thin led to her being scouted as a model while still 13 years old, by her dance teacher.<ref name="SCMP2016"/><ref name="SCMP2014"/> One of her first jobs was a [[Levi's]] campaign, and she remembers being surprised seeing her picture in shops in [[Times Square (Hong Kong)|Times Square]].<ref name="SCMP2014"/>
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== Muay Thai and body confidence ==
== Muay Thai and body confidence ==
[[File:Mia Kang kicking on UPROXX.jpg|right|thumb|Kang in Muay Thai training in 2017]]
[[File:Mia Kang kicking on UPROXX.jpg|right|thumb|Kang in Muay Thai training in 2017]]
Kang's family have a home in [[Koh Samui]], an island off the east coast of [[Thailand]].<ref name=Scott201703/> Kang was taking a 10-day holiday from modeling there in 2016, when she noticed young fighters from a local gym training in the [[combat sport]] [[Muay Thai]] by the side of the road, and asked if she could try it; initially just to help her lose more of the weight that she was told she needed to.<ref name=Scott201703/><ref name="InStyle"/> The coaches were impressed enough by her workout that they suggested she join.<ref name=Scott201703/> The 10 days turned into a six or nine-month training camp, of six day a week routines.<ref name=Scott201703/> The martial arts training taught her to [[body positivity|respect her body]].<ref name="People2017"/> The workouts were so intense she forgot she smoked.<ref name=Scott201703/> She stopped restricting what she ate, added 20-30+ pounds, became more muscled, and gained definition.<ref name="People2017"/><ref name="ESPN">{{cite news |last1=Cioppa |first1=Deanna |title=Knocked down to knockout: Model Mia Kang used Muay Thai to find new respect for her body |url=https://www.espn.com/espnw/culture/feature/story/_/id/19543205/knocked-knockout-model-mia-kang-used-muay-thai-find-new-respect-body |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=[[ESPN]] |date=5 June 2017 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="InStyle"/> Her [[dress size]] went from a size two-four to a size four-six.<ref name="ESPN"/><ref name="Yahoo"/>
Kang's family have a home in [[Koh Samui]], an island off the east coast of [[Thailand]].<ref name="Scott201703">{{cite news|last1=Scott|first1=Mathew|date=17 March 2017|title=From swimsuit model to mixed martial artist: Hong Kong-raised model Mia Kang prepares for her muay thai debut|language=en|work=South China Morning Post|url=https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2079898/swimsuit-model-mixed-martial-artist-hong-kong-raised-mia-kang|access-date=19 March 2020}} Also available as {{cite news|last1=Scott|first1=Mathew|date=21 March 2017|title=Swimsuit model Mia Kang debuts to muay thai|language=en|work=[[Korea Times]]|url=http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/world/2019/04/672_226057.html|access-date=22 March 2020}}</ref> Kang was taking a 10-day holiday from modeling there in 2016, when she noticed young fighters from a local gym training in the [[combat sport]] [[Muay Thai]] by the side of the road, and asked if she could try it; initially just to help her lose more of the weight that she was told she needed to.<ref name=Scott201703/><ref name="InStyle"/> The coaches were impressed enough by her workout that they suggested she join.<ref name=Scott201703/> The 10 days turned into a six or nine-month training camp, of six day a week routines.<ref name=Scott201703/> The martial arts training taught her to [[body positivity|respect her body]].<ref name="People2017"/>


[[File:Mia Kang boxing on UPROXX.jpg|left|thumb|Kang in Muay Thai training in 2017]]
[[File:Mia Kang boxing on UPROXX.jpg|left|thumb|Kang in Muay Thai training in 2017]]
Kang began to alternate her time between training and returning to New York for modeling. She kept training in New York with [[Phil Nurse]] at The Wat, and Hollywood Hino of Church Street Boxing, for about three hours daily, and in Thailand at the Bangkok [[Yokkao]] and her first gym, Yodyut, on Koh Samui, for about six hours each day.<ref>{{cite news |last=Feitelberg |first=Rosemary |title=Sports Illustrated to Trail Model During Muay Thai Training for Documentary |url=https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/sports-illustrated-swimsuit-model-mia-kang-muay-thai-time-inc-training-for-first-professional-muay-thai-fight-10866531/ |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=[[Women's Wear Daily]] |date=12 April 2017 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Tan |first1=Pakkee |title=Mia Kang Reveals Her Top Diet Tips & Her Secret To Staying Fit |url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com.sg/beauty/mia-kang-on-beauty-fitness-diet/ |access-date=23 March 2020 |work=[[Harper's Bazaar]] Singapore|date=17 May 2017}}</ref> She decided to compete in her first professional Muay Thai fight in May 2017. She would have done it earlier, but her modeling agency objected strenuously; the money wasn't much compared to US modeling fees, and being injured in a fight would put her career in doubt.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Santarossa |first1=Adam |title=Supermodel bound for MMA glory |url=https://www.news.com.au/sport/ufc/supermodel-mia-kang-is-showing-serious-fighting-talent/news-story/dde88339a979e97979949dbd65e5188a |website=[[News.com.au]] |access-date=19 March 2020 |language=en |date=30 May 2017}}</ref> At least she needed to first shoot the ''Sports Illustrated'' Swimsuit Issue.<ref name="Naftulin">{{cite news |last1=Naftulin |first1=Julia |title=SI Swim Model Mia Kang Overcame a Lifelong Eating Disorder With Muay Thai |url=https://www.health.com/celebrities/mia-kang-thai-boxing |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=Health.com |date=13 April 2017 |language=EN}}</ref> ''Sports Illustrated'' promised to film the fight for a digital documentary.<ref name="People2017"/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Hendrix |first1=Kelsey |title=Mia Kang is set to compete in first professional Muay Thai fight |url=https://swimsuit.si.com/swim-daily/2017/04/13/mia-kang-first-professional-muay-thai-fight-thailand |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=Swimsuit {{!}} SI.com |date=13 April 2017 |language=en-us}}</ref> She took a month long training with legendary Muay Thai fighter [[Saenchai]] to prepare for her fight.<ref name=Scott201703/> Her trainers recommended she "have as much sex as possible" before her fight, to increase [[testosterone]] levels.<ref>
She decided to compete in her first professional Muay Thai fight in May 2017. She would have done it earlier, but her modeling agency objected strenuously; the money wasn't much compared to US modeling fees, and being injured in a fight would put her career in doubt.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Santarossa |first1=Adam |title=Supermodel bound for MMA glory |url=https://www.news.com.au/sport/ufc/supermodel-mia-kang-is-showing-serious-fighting-talent/news-story/dde88339a979e97979949dbd65e5188a |website=[[News.com.au]] |access-date=19 March 2020 |language=en |date=30 May 2017}}</ref>
<!-- You might think one reference would suffice for a single simple sentence like this, but when this was just referenced to the first one here, New York Post/Page Six, the sentence was removed with the comment that wasn't enough. So, here we go: -->
* {{cite news |last1=Jones |first1=Tashara |title=Muay Thai beauty says a lot of sex is ‘recommended’ before a fight |url=https://pagesix.com/2017/07/01/mma-beauty-says-a-lot-of-sex-is-recommended-before-a-fight/ |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=[[Page Six]] |date=1 July 2017 |language=en}}
* {{cite news |title=MMA Fighter Mia Kang Reveals a Very Surprising Pre-Fight Routine |url=https://sg.style.yahoo.com/mma-fighter-mia-kang-reveals-pre-fight-routine-003425521.html |access-date=29 January 2021 |work=[[TheWrap]] |publisher=[[Yahoo! News]] |date=1 July 2017 |language=en-SG}}
* {{cite news |last1=Micklethwaite |first1=Jamie |title=Stunning MMA babe told to have ‘lots of sex’ before fight |url=https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/mia-kang-ufc-mma-muay-16965174 |access-date=29 January 2021 |work=[[Daily Star (United Kingdom)]] |date=2 July 2017 |language=en}}
* {{cite news |title=Female Muay Thai fighter advised to have more sex before fights |url=https://www.asianage.com/life/more-features/030717/muay-thai-fighter-advised-to-have-more-sex-before-fights.html |access-date=29 January 2021 |work=[[The Asian Age]] |date=3 July 2017}}
* {{cite news |title=More sex before fights is better says female Muay Thai fighter |url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/lifestyle/sex-and-relationship/030717/female-muay-thai-fighter-says-having-more-sex-before-fights-can-be-good.html |access-date=29 January 2021 |work=[[Deccan Chronicle]] |date=3 July 2017 |language=en}}
* {{cite news |last1=Feeney |first1=Oisin |title=Ex-glamour Model and Muay Thai fighter always has sex before a fight |url=https://www.buzz.ie/news/muay-thai-fighter-always-sex-fight-245007 |access-date=29 January 2021 |work=[[Irish Daily Star]] |date=July 7, 2017}}
* {{cite news |title=Punching above expectations |url=http://epaper.mmail.com.my/2017/07/08/punching-above-expectations/ |access-date=29 January 2021 |work=[[Malay Mail]] |date=8 July 2017}}
</ref>

Kang's first professional fight was on 7 May 2017. She was matched against Thai fighter Nong B, who had 5 bouts experience.<ref name="SCMP20170511"/> Kang took an elbow to the eye in the first round, which, she says, made her mad, since her face is her livelihood.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Jones |first1=Tashara |title=Mia Kang is a true knockout — and a genius |url=https://pagesix.com/2017/05/15/mia-kang-is-a-true-knockout-and-a-genius/ |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=Page Six |date=15 May 2017 |language=en}}</ref> She won the second round, then went in with "heavy hands" in the third round, hitting her opponent hard, and winning by [[technical knockout]].<ref name="SCMP20170511">{{cite news |last1=Scott |first1=Mathew |title=I want to do it again, says bruised Mia Kang after first muay thai victory |url=https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2093949/i-want-do-it-again-says-beaten-and-bruised-mia-kang-after-swimsuit |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=[[South China Morning Post]] |date=11 May 2017 |language=en}}</ref> After her victory, Kang was excited to continue into [[mixed martial arts]], and signed with manager [[Malki Kawa]] of leading MMA agency First Round Management.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Scott |first1=Mathew |title=Mia goes MMA: Hong Kong model Mia Kang signs with leading mixed martial arts agent |url=https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2095295/mia-goes-mma-hong-kong-model-kang-signs-leading-mixed-martial-arts |access-date=21 March 2020 |work=South China Morning Post |date=23 May 2017 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Raimondi |first1=Marc |title=Swimsuit model, Muay Thai fighter Mia Kang considering competing in MMA |url=https://www.mmafighting.com/2017/5/29/15703120/swimsuit-model-muay-thai-fighter-mia-kang-considering-competing-in-mma |website=[[MMA Fighting]] |access-date=19 March 2020 |language=en |date=29 May 2017}}</ref>


[[File:Mia Kang tired on UPROXX.jpg|right|thumb|Kang in Muay Thai training in 2017]]
[[File:Mia Kang tired on UPROXX.jpg|right|thumb|Kang in Muay Thai training in 2017]]
Line 74: Line 61:


== Charity work ==
== Charity work ==
Kang tries to work with a charity in every country she models in.<ref name="C-Heads"/> She supports the Wor Watthana Muay Thai gym that helps children in an impoverished region of northeast Thailand.<ref name="Scott201803"/><ref name="Jejune"/> In 2017, she raised money for a [[sex trafficking]] project called "18 for 18 Project Rescue", by [[skydiving]] from {{convert|18000|ft|m}}, the highest in North America.<ref name="Jejune"/><ref>{{cite news |title=How Mia Kang overcame her insecurities to become a top model |url=https://galoremag.com/mia-kang-swimsuit-model-photo-shoot/ |access-date=24 March 2020 |work=Galore |date=15 September 2017 |language=en}}</ref>
Kang tries to work with a charity in every country she models in.<ref name="C-Heads"/> She supports the Wor Watthana Muay Thai gym that helps children in an impoverished region of northeast Thailand.<ref name="Scott201803"/><ref name="Jejune"/> In 2017, she raised money for a [[sex trafficking]] project called "18 for 18 Project Rescue", by [[skydiving]] from {{convert|18000|ft|m}}, the highest in North America.<ref name="Jejune"/><ref>{{cite news |title=How Mia Kang overcame her insecurities to become a top model |url=https://galoremag.com/mia-kang-swimsuit-model-photo-shoot/ |access-date=24 March 2020 |work=Galore |date=15 September 2017 |language=en}}</ref>

== Publications ==
Kang has published a memoir, "Knockout" , published by [[Abrams Books|Abrams, Incorporated]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kang|first=Mia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qdZCzQEACAAJ&dq=knockout&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi2zr7PxKvwAhXRi1wKHW8xDOgQ6AEwBXoECAAQAg|title=Knockout|date=2020-10-20|publisher=Abrams, Incorporated|isbn=978-1-4197-4332-0|language=en}}</ref>


== References ==
== References ==

Revision as of 18:14, 2 May 2021

Mia Kang
Kang on Uproxx in 2017
Born (1988-12-30) 30 December 1988 (age 35)[4]
Hong Kong
Nationality
  • British
  • Swiss
Modeling information
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)[1]
Hair colorBrown
Eye colorBrown
AgencyIMG Models[2][3]

Mia Kang (born 30 December 1988) is a fashion model, Muay Thai fighter, body positivity advocate, and television host based in New York City. Kang grew up in Hong Kong and was bullied as a young girl for being overweight. She halved her weight at the age of 13, and was soon scouted as a model. Kang modeled across Asia and Europe through her high school and college years. She got a master's degree in finance and financial law in England, and left modeling to work as a commodities trader, before returning to modeling in New York City and winning the 2016 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue model search and being named a 2017 Rookie.

Despite her modeling success, Kang was miserable with the eating disorders that she felt the modeling industry demanded to stay thin, until she took up the martial art Muay Thai in Thailand. Training and fighting gained her respect for her body, healthy eating habits, weight and muscle. She now advocates for women's body confidence, while continuing to model at her larger size, and hosting Spy Games, an American reality competition television series.

Early life and modeling

Kang on Uproxx in 2017

Mia Kang was born and raised in Hong Kong, though she has Swiss nationality.[5][6][1] Her father is British and her mother is South Korean; they met while living in Taiwan, then moved to Hong Kong for business.[7][8][6] Both parents were academics, with her father being a physicist from Oxford University.[5][9] She has four older half-siblings (two half-sisters with the same father and a Taiwanese mother, and two half-brothers with the same mother and a different British father), but they lived in other parts of the world as she was growing up.[5][8]

As a teenager, Kang studied at and eventually graduated from the international Island School in Hong Kong,[10][11] but never felt like she fit in. She says the Asian kids would socialize together and the western kids would socialize together, but she was half Korean and half British, and never felt she belonged with either.[5]

Getting thin led to her being scouted as a model while still 13 years old, by her dance teacher.[10][11] One of her first jobs was a Levi's campaign, and she remembers being surprised seeing her picture in shops in Times Square.[11]

After graduating high school, Kang modeled abroad, in Tokyo, Singapore, Milan, and London.[11] For several years she was signed with the London Models 1 agency.[11]

Higher education and finance career

Despite Kang's modeling success, her father advised her to go to college, since modeling could be a short-lived career.[9] So Kang also studied philosophy and economics at Bristol University, earning a bachelor's degree, then got a master's degree in finance and financial law at the School of Oriental and African Studies.[11][10][5] She says her education is the thing in her life that she is proudest of, and intends to return one day for a doctorate or an MBA.[12]

After graduating, Kang left modeling to use her degree in finance as a London commodities trader.[9] She was on the path to becoming a derivatives consultant in her mid-20s, when she realized she felt stifled and decided to try the modeling profession one more time.[12]

Return to modeling

Kang in swimsuit in 2017

In 2015, Kang signed with Trump Model Management and moved from Hong Kong to New York City, home of most of the world's top models.[10] Sports Illustrated was her first New York City modeling assignment, and she was the first Hongkonger to become a Sports Illustrated model.[10] She also worked in three campaigns for Guess.[9] In August 2016, she defeated five other models from around the world in a public vote and was named the winner of the magazine's Swimsuit 2016 Model Search, to be featured in the 2017 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.[10][1] She was also declared a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue 2017 Rookie.[13][14]

However, she was very unhappy. She was being asked to starve herself, and go on 10-day liquid diets between photo shoots. It was normal for her to go four days without eating.[15] She was obsessed with being thinner, and living off of "Marlboro Lights, black coffee, and alcohol."[16][17] At her low point, she was contemplating suicide.[18][15]

Muay Thai and body confidence

Kang in Muay Thai training in 2017

Kang's family have a home in Koh Samui, an island off the east coast of Thailand.[19] Kang was taking a 10-day holiday from modeling there in 2016, when she noticed young fighters from a local gym training in the combat sport Muay Thai by the side of the road, and asked if she could try it; initially just to help her lose more of the weight that she was told she needed to.[19][16] The coaches were impressed enough by her workout that they suggested she join.[19] The 10 days turned into a six or nine-month training camp, of six day a week routines.[19] The martial arts training taught her to respect her body.[14]

Kang in Muay Thai training in 2017

She decided to compete in her first professional Muay Thai fight in May 2017. She would have done it earlier, but her modeling agency objected strenuously; the money wasn't much compared to US modeling fees, and being injured in a fight would put her career in doubt.[20]

Kang in Muay Thai training in 2017

Kang credits Muay Thai for teaching her to love her body and even saving her life.[18][15] She became a body confidence advocate, encouraging all women to have strong and healthy bodies.[14] She started her own all-female boxing club in SoHo, New York, called "Killa Girl Gang", after her fighting name, "Killa Kang", for all levels of fitness.[21][22] She hosted a body positivity retreat on Koh Samui with travel agency 109 World.[23] A May 2018 Instagram post in which she compared photos of her emaciated size two, 99 pounds (45 kg) body in 2015 with her size eight, 170 pounds (77 kg) body in 2018, drew 14,000 "likes" and international press coverage.[15][24][25][26][27][28] Kang was named a 2018 Today Show Style Hero, and the 2019 Self magazine New Year's Challenge star.[18][15]

Kang continues to model, but says that her new size, eight or ten in 2018, puts her above the standard model sizes, and yet below the plus-size model sizes, so clients ask that she either gain or lose weight.[29]

In 2020, Kang became the host of Spy Games, a reality competition television series on the American television channel Bravo, in which ten contestants compete in spy-inspired exercises for $100,000.[30][31]

Charity work

Kang tries to work with a charity in every country she models in.[5] She supports the Wor Watthana Muay Thai gym that helps children in an impoverished region of northeast Thailand.[21][24] In 2017, she raised money for a sex trafficking project called "18 for 18 Project Rescue", by skydiving from 18,000 feet (5,500 m), the highest in North America.[24][32]

Publications

Kang has published a memoir, "Knockout" , published by Abrams, Incorporated.[33]

References

  1. ^ a b c Gray, Andy (22 August 2016). "Mia Kang wins 2016 SI Swimsuit Model Search". Swimsuit | SI.com. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  2. ^ IMG Models: Mia Kang
  3. ^ Mia Kang's Instagram page
  4. ^ "Mia Kang - Muay Thai - Awakening Fighters".
  5. ^ a b c d e f Engel, Lauren (14 January 2016). "New Generation: Mia Kang". C-Heads Magazine. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  6. ^ a b Sauers, Jenna (22 August 2018). "The Fashion Industry Is Obsessed With Size. This Model Doesn't Care for Those Rules". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  7. ^ Freydkin, Donna. "How Curvy 'Sports Illustrated' Swimsuit Model Mia Kang Stopped Hating Herself". Yahoo! Style. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  8. ^ a b Sanders, David Lee (11 July 2018). "Interview with Mia Kang". HalfKorean.com. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  9. ^ a b c d Gollayan, Christian (25 March 2017). "This SI model is also a trader and a pro fighter". New York Post. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  10. ^ a b c d e f Zhang, Jing (29 August 2016). "Hong Kong's Mia Kang on her victory in Sports Illustrated global model contest". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  11. ^ a b c d e f Zhang, Jing (4 September 2014). "Hong Kong top models Angie Ng, Mia Kang and Kimberly Verge talk style". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  12. ^ a b Okwodu, Janelle (8 March 2017). "Mia Kang Is a Model With a Mission". Vogue. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  13. ^ Hendrix, Kelsey (3 February 2017). "SI Swimsuit 2017 Rookie Reveal: Mia Kang". Swimsuit | SI.com. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  14. ^ a b c Olya, Gabrielle (13 April 2017). "Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Mia Kang Says Muay Thai Gave Her Body Confidence". People. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  15. ^ a b c d e Freydkin, Donna (6 May 2018). "'I hadn't eaten solid food in 10 days': Model on getting healthy and loving her body". TODAY.com. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  16. ^ a b Pulia, Shalayne (4 August 2017). "Model Mia Kang on How Boxing Helped Her Fight Body Dysmorphia: "I Learned Food Is Not a Reward for Starvation"". InStyle. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  17. ^ Silberbauer, Cally (27 February 2018). ""I Am Unapologetically Myself — I Am Not Defined By My Weight"". Women's Health South Africa. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  18. ^ a b c Shy, Leta (30 December 2018). "Model Mia Kang on How Becoming a Muay Thai Fighter Saved Her Life". Self.
  19. ^ a b c d Scott, Mathew (17 March 2017). "From swimsuit model to mixed martial artist: Hong Kong-raised model Mia Kang prepares for her muay thai debut". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 19 March 2020. Also available as Scott, Mathew (21 March 2017). "Swimsuit model Mia Kang debuts to muay thai". Korea Times. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  20. ^ Santarossa, Adam (30 May 2017). "Supermodel bound for MMA glory". News.com.au. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  21. ^ a b Pithers, Ellie (4 December 2017). "5 Ways Mia Kang is Breaking The Lingerie Model Mould". British Vogue. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  22. ^ Kelley, Grace (14 March 2018). "Mia Kang: Leader of Our Girl Gang – HERS Magazine". Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  23. ^ Scott, Mathew (20 March 2018). "Hong Kong model's Muay Thai boxing helps her battle body issues". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 21 March 2020. Also available as Scott, Mathew (20 March 2018). "Hong Kong model beats personal body issues through Muay Thai". The Star (Malaysia). Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  24. ^ a b c Bucca, Kira (16 April 2018). "COVER STORY - Battling the Beauty Standard with Mia Kang". Jejune Magazine. No. 2. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  25. ^ Waters, Lowenna (10 May 2018). "Model reveals how being a size two made her unhappy in powerful Instagram post". The Independent. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  26. ^ Barr, Sabrina (10 May 2018). "Sports Illustrated model Mia Kang shares her battle with eating disorder on Instagram". The Independent. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  27. ^ Miller, Korin (10 May 2018). "Model Mia Kang Shared A Powerful Before And After Photo Of Her Eating Disorder Recovery". Women's Health. Retrieved 19 March 2020. Also available as Miller, Korin (11 May 2018). "Model Mia Kang Shared A Powerful Before And After Photo Of Her Eating Disorder Recovery". Women's Health. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  28. ^ Levi, Anthea (9 May 2018). "This SI Swim Model Shared a Powerful Post About Going From a Size 2 to a Size 8 and Overcoming Her Eating Disorder". Health. Retrieved 19 March 2020. Also available as Levi, Anthea (9 May 2018). "SI Swim Model Mia Kang on Going From a Size 2 to a Size 8 After Overcoming Eating Disorders". People Health. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  29. ^ Nolasco, Stephanie (24 August 2018). "Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model Mia Kang recalls having 'a complete breakdown' while 'living with eating disorders'". Fox News. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  30. ^ Petski, Denise (6 May 2019). "Bravo Orders 'Spy Games' Espionage-Inspired Competition Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  31. ^ Corinthios, Aurelie (27 January 2020). "Martial Artist Mia Kang Coaches 10 Aspiring Spies Through Lock-Picking Challenge in Spy Games". People. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  32. ^ "How Mia Kang overcame her insecurities to become a top model". Galore. 15 September 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  33. ^ Kang, Mia (20 October 2020). Knockout. Abrams, Incorporated. ISBN 978-1-4197-4332-0.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mia Kang.
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