According to a recent interview with the L.A. Times, plus-size model Maile Nanri has become a “minor celebrity” among Asian-American women for challenging ethnic stereotypes that come with both physical and psychological burdens. Nanri told the Times that “Every single Asian girl I know–and I know a lot–hates that ridiculous stereotype of the petite, quiet Asian woman who should “move like the ocean breeze while quietly quoting Zen quotes.”
Mode magazine, a relatively new magazine that features women of “all size, shapes, and ethnicities,” was Nanri’s inspiration to get involved in modeling. Mode claims to bring “style democracy” to its readers by showing tht style and beauty are accessible to the 62% of American women that are “plus-size.” Nanri also points to a lack of Asian women in the American media as inspiration, “We’re not all like Lucy Liu or Connie Chung and it’s as if we’re invisible. I’m not going to rest until that changes.”
