Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue’s first Asian plus-size model Yumi Nu says it’s an ‘incredible honour’

The songwriter and niece of deejay Steve Aoki says she is ‘proud to be making history’

Representations of plus-size or ‘curvy’ body types are a rarity among the Asian community in the US and in Asian countries

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Yumi Nu is making history as the first Asian plus-size model to appear in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, making her debut for 2021. Photo: Sports Illustrated

Published: 10:15am, 22 Mar 2021Updated: 9:23am, 19 Apr 2021

Yumi Nu is making history as the first plus-size Asian model to appear in the Swimsuit Issue of magazine Sports Illustrated.

Nu, who is also a songwriter and the niece of famous deejay Steve Aoki, is of Japanese and Dutch descent.

“Secrets out!!! I’m a 2021 @si_swimsuit Rookie! What an incredible honour it is to be in such an inclusive and beautiful magazine that has pushed the envelope since day 1. I’m so proud to be making history as the first Asian curve Sports Illustrated model,” Nu wrote on Instagram.

Representations of plus-size or “curvy” body types are a rarity among the Asian community in the United States and in Asian countries, where traditional standards of beauty are still the norm.

Just last week, Hiroshi Sasaki, chief executive creative director of this summer’s Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, resigned after proposing that Japanese plus-size advocate Naomi Watanabe come down from the sky in a pig costume to play the role of an “Olympig” during the Olympic opening ceremony.

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