DISGRASIAN™

BABEWATCH: Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Sonia Dara

Name: Sonia Dara

Hails from: Hotlanta, Georgia

Occupation: Model and college student

Why She’s a Babe: Not only is Sonia the first model of Indian descent to grace the pages of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue, she’s also a sophomore at Harvard, where she’s studying economics. Can you imagine what it’d be like to be her roommate? You could never borrow her clothes or have a pint of ice cream or a beer around her without feeling like a pathetic, fat slob, and despite secretly hating her and her perfection, you’d have to befriend her, because she’d be your in to meeting hot guys, and not just goofy undergrads, but, like, hot graduate students doing their dissertations in something sexy like philosophy who spoke eight languages and lived part-time in a real city like Paris or En-Why-See, dudes who would, unfortunately, only befriend you because you’d be their in to the swimsuit model.

Sigh.

Fortunately for that poor lass, Sonia is taking a year off from school to pursue her modeling career. In other words, there is a god.

Click here to see more pics of Sonia in SI’s 2010 Swimsuit Issue.

[Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit 2010]
[Elite Model Management: Sonia Dara]

Thanks, Robert!

Filed under: Asian Models, Desis, Harvard, Hot Asian Ladies, Hot Smart Chicks, Indian-Americans, Sonia Dara, South Asians, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue 2010

Revisiting Daul Kim’s “I Like to Fork Myself”

Celebrity death vultures have been busy the last week picking over the bones of 20 year-old, South Korean model Daul Kim, who was found hanged in her Paris apartment in an apparent suicide November 19, which may explain why her blog, I Like to Fork Myself–scoured by reporters as though it were a suicide note (before the alleged existence of an actual suicide note was revealed)–has since been switched to invite-only and is no longer available for public rubbernecking viewing.

I, too, have been guilty of participating in this scavenger hunt, the search for the why behind her death. A year-and-a-half ago, I wrote about Daul Kim and the things I liked about her: her goofy-cool factor, her bangs, and her blog, which I described as a “zany, irreverent diary of her fashism experiences.” When I read of her death, my first impulse was to return to the site and figure out what I had missed. I mean, zany and irreverent? Were these words one could really use to describe someone who had taken her own life? What dark thoughts and creeping shadows had I failed to see on the edges?

Continue reading Revisiting Daul Kim’s “I Like to Fork Myself”

Filed under: Asian Models, Bloggers, Daul Kim, Daul Kim Death, Daul Kim Suicide, Daul Kim Suicide Note, I Like to Fork Myself, RIP Daul Kim, South Koreans, Suicide, Untimely Deaths

Caption This: Liu Wen, First Asian Model In A Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show

(Liu Wen is the “first Asian model” to walk in a Victoria’s Secret fashion show–if you don’t count Blasian Chanel Iman, who also made her VS debut at the same time–November 19, 2009.)

[Starpulse: Hot Victoria's Secret Fashion Show Photos]
[The Cut: Liu Wen Is the First Asian Model Confirmed for the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show]

Filed under: Asian Models, Chanel Iman, Chinese Models, firsts, Heidi Klum, Lingerie, Liu Wen, Liu Wen First Asian Model Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, Victoria's Secret Fashion Show

BABEWATCH: "Model to Watch" Tao Okamoto

Name: Tao Okamoto

Age: 22

Hails from: Tokyo

Occupation: Model

Why She’s a Babe: It’s the bowl cut. No, seriously. Before Tao got her new ‘do this winter, she was just another pretty face. But now, she’s designer Phillip Lim’s muse–Lim loved her hair so much, he made all of the other models walking in his Fall 2009 show wear matching wigs–and she’s been named to NY Mag’s “Top Ten Models to Watch” for New York Fashion Week. She was also the first Asian model to walk for Miu Miu this winter since 2007 (lame, considering Hong Kong is Miu Miu’s single-largest market).

They may get a bad rap, but bowl cuts on women are sexy. I got one when I was 18, and not only was it liberating–like a 90’s version of burning my bra–but it actually got me more attention from men, much to my surprise. Like smart, cool men whose idea of beauty wasn’t limited to the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue and the Victoria’s Secret catalog. Bowl cuts have also been traditionally associated with hard times, and since we’re still in the thick of this nasty recession, there may be no other look that’s more now.

Dare you to bust out those scissors.

[NY Mag: Top Ten Models to Watch]

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Filed under: Androgyny, Asian Fashion Designers, Asian Models, Bowl Cuts, Japanese Models, Miu Miu, Muses, Phillip Lim, Recession Hair, Short Hair, Tao Okamoto

BABEWATCH: Male Model Daniel Liu

Meet Daniel Liu. He recently signed with Ford Models and can be seen in the upcoming Uniqlo Fall/Winter campaign. He’s of Taiwanese descent and is 6′3″(!) of man. He’s also our blogger pal Joz’s (8 Asians) cousin.

Incidentally, we’re having lunch with Joz this week, where we will 1) try not to drool on our food as we grill her about the hotness she’s related to, and 2) do our damnedest to get invited to their next Family Gathering.

[8 Asians: Introducing Daniel Liu: Asian Male Model (and My “Little” Cousin)]
[photo via Just Male Model]

Thanks, Jasmine!

Filed under: 8 Asians, Asian Models, Cousins, Daniel Lu, Family Get-Togethers, Hot Relations, Male Models, Taiwanese-Americans, The Hotness, Uniqlo

BIRTHDAY CELEBRASIAN!

What can we say? The world celebrates beauty–and we, in keeping with that, sure do love ourselves some supermodels. We’d like to wish the lovely, lovely, lovely Ujjwala Raut a very happy 31st birthday! May she continue to enjoy the benefits of having exceptionally long limbs, a perfectly symmetrical face, and the ability to “smile with her eyes” for years to come.

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Filed under: Asian Models, Birthdays, Hot Indian Women, Long Limbs, People of Supernatural Beauty, People Who Probably Have It Easy, Supermodels, Ujjwala Raut

America’s Next Top Model Needs a Little More Diversificasian

America’s Next Top Model Cycle 12 starts tonight, and we’ll be watching even though it doesn’t appear there are any Asian sistas on the show this season, which is weird, since the fashion world is supposedly embracing more of our peeps. (I was holding out hopes for “Fo”–did someone say noodles?–until I watched her audition tape.) But we all know ANTM isn’t about fashion or diversity, it’s about hissy fits, drrrama, and smiling with your eyes.

At least the promo images for the show have the contestants looking like us. And when I say “like us” I mean they’re in full geisha maquillage, an orgy of origami flying all over the place.

And that’s something, right?

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

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Filed under: America's Next Top Model, America's Next Top Model Cycle 12, ANTM, Asian Models, Fo, Geisha Makeup, Geishas Are Tired, Origami is Fucking Impossible, Tyra Banks

Is This Beckham-oning to Me?

Hey Jen,

You know I think Victoria Beckham is a useless, scary, skeletal, creepy robot.

So why are these pieces from her new collection speaking to me?

Have I lost my mind? Is there a brain virus eating my rational thought? Is the world coming to an end? Has a zombie invaded my soul?

Or is that hot bitch in heels like, SO GORGE that she can just make a potato sack/paper bag/Beckham design look fierce? And if that’s the case, I’m totally normal and just love myself a hot bitch, right?

Rowr

Please toss out a theory. I’m frightened. So frightened.

Thanks!

xoxo
Diana

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Filed under: Asian Models, Beautiful Ladies, Fear, Gorge, Hot Bitches, I Wanna Be A Supermodel, Models, Notes to Jen, Robots, The Apocalypse, Victoria Beckham

BABEWATCH: Jessica Gomes

Name: Jessica Gomes

Hails from: Perth, Australia

Ethnicity: Portuguesian (father is Portuguese, mother is Singaporean Chinese)

Why She’s a Babe: Being in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue two years running–in 2008 and the newly-released 2009–automatically qualifies Jessica, obvs. But even in a field of hotties–Leo DiCaprio’s GF Bar Rafaeli graces the 2009 cover–the Portuguesian model’s face stands out. And we mean that literally, because you may have noticed that homegirl’s rockin’ a moonface, and we love moonfaces, even if we sometimes try to minimize our own. Also, Entertainment Weekly gave Jessica props for “best water shot” and…wait, what the fuck is a “water shot”?!

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Filed under: Asian Models, Australiasians, Jessica Gomes, Mixed People, Moon Faces, Moonfaces, Portuguesians, SI Swimsuit Issue, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue

But What’s Her Take On the Bailout?

Of COURSE I think that the very suggestion of “Paris for President” (as opposed to really delightful ideas/jokes, like Murs para Presidente or McCain 4 Prez) is abominable. It’s not even funny. NOT EVEN FUNNY.

That is, unless nummy model William Chan (see above, right) actually would be one of Paris’s Secret Service men. In which case, she could very well have my vote.

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Filed under: Asian Models, Bad Dog-Eating Jokes, John McCain, Models, Murs, Paris for President, Paris Hilton Should Expire, Smoking Hotness, the President, Vote, William Chan, Write-In Candidates, Yummy Things

Kaneshir-what’s in Your Pants?

DISGRASIANtern Jasmine informed us this morning that Takeshi Kaneshiro (Chungking Express, House of Flying Daggers) will be the new face of Armani for fall/winter, which marks the first time the Italian label has used an Asian model in that role:

Kaneshiro for Armani F/W ‘09

I should be stoked, but I couldn’t help thinking…face?

David Beckham for Armani Underwear

FUCK THE FACE!

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Thanks, Jasmine!

Filed under: Armani, Asian Models, Battle of the Bulge, David Beckham, Faces, Packages, Takeshi Kaneshiro Is a God

BABEWATCH: Daul Kim

Name: Daul Kim

Occupation: Model

Why She’s a Babe: She can wear a bag on her head and still look cool. We also love her bangs. And because Kim writes a blog called I Like to Fork Myself, a zany, irreverent diary of her fashism experiences, where she, too, documented her love of the Japanese “We Are the World.”

Check out Daul Kim working the runway here.

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Filed under: Asian Models, Bangs, Daul Kim, Fashism, Hot and Goofy, Working It