“I’ve shaved my head four times in my life now and every time I’ve done so, a modelling job pops up. (At the point of writing) I sport a buzz cut dyed yellow from a previous job and shaved brows. It was easier to land jobs when I had long hair, but these days, I get them because of my bald head and the scope of work is different… Weirdly enough, the jobs I’ve been getting are commercial in nature. I guess having a bald girl in the cast is unique and clients want that now. The look almost expands past racial ambiguity (often favoured by the industry) and instead is about having a distinctively different feature regardless of race, in turn broadening the perception of what a model can look like. I prefer these jobs because I’m hired for being me.”

“I used to have a very stereotypical lens of modelling and thought it was very basic. I thought it was all about runway and having the height – I don’t have a conventional model’s height. But when I entered the scene, I realized it was more about the team’s visions. I’d never thought about my face being a modelling one, and it was interesting that someone could see it differently. I’ve seen how, in the modelling scene, the way you visualize a brand or object can very much be artsy. It’s quite an artistic endeavour.”

“I went to a school where there wasn’t a creative scene going. It was an international school, so I wasn’t in touch with the local scene and didn’t know how to explore and expand my creative mind. Modelling makes you more social because the circle is so small, and once you get to know everybody it doesn’t feel that stressful. I’m inspired by China’s modelling scene, it’s phenomenal. Everyone knows one another, which is weird because it’s so much bigger there and you’d expect the opposite. I wish we could work like that here, in symbiosis without aesthetic clashes – where everything is accepted.”

“I’m never actually worried about shoots because I trust the outcome. It comes from knowing the photographer and crew in time. The one I’ve worked with a lot is Zantz Han. We’ve gotten really close in the process and it’s come to the point where I can mould myself to the needs of his shoot. He’s taught me a lot, and that relationship helps a lot because it’s about trust and friendship. His vision is really amazing, and it helps that we can discuss things on set.”

A version of this article first appeared in the August 2021 The Great SG Fashion Book edition of FEMALE