Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’s first Asian plus-size cover model Yumi Nu didn’t always love her size or her race
- Yumi Nu is the first plus-size Asian model to appear on the cover of the Swimsuit Issue of Sports Illustrated, but had to work through ‘years of shame’ first
- ‘I got tired of hating myself,’ she says of rejecting her Asian side and size, but says the fashion world still has a ways to go before it is fully inclusive
Modelling has always been a part of my life. My mum was a model and took me to shoots as a baby, and I returned to it in middle school.
I originally wanted to be a model because I just wanted to be cool as a kid, but I feel like my intentions have changed. The industry has changed so much and there’s so much history to be made, which I want to be a part of.
People ask me if I’ve dreamed of being on the cover of Sports Illustrated, but I didn’t know that I could. It’s only been in the past two or three years that brands, casting directors, and editors have made an effort to open up to diverse models – both when it comes to body diversity and racial diversity.
When I was younger, I didn’t see anyone that looked like me in the media. That created a lot of insecurities and worthiness issues in me.