The New Face Of Asia

I'm not going to change anything. I'd like to be taller, but there's nothing I can do about that. I feel confident and comfortable with the body I was born with, and I'm getting plenty of work the way I am. If people don't accept me as I am, then too bad. I'm Asian, not European. I'll stay the way I am.

Can your success change these Asian conceptions of feminine beauty?

Yes. I may have made a breakthrough for other darker-skinned Asians. More Thais and other Asians are asking for my autograph and are even talking about a new standard of beauty. It would be great if I could be an example to the young generation so they can be proud of having a very dark-skinned, Asian look. Too often we Asians reject our looks and culture in favor of Western standards. For ex- ample, young Thai women don't wear sarongs anymore. That's a great tragedy. It shows they are not comfortable with themselves. It's like they are forgetting about or looking down on their own culture and where they come from. For me, the sarong is the perfect dress. It's traditional, modern and more sexy than any Western clothes. I often mix a T shirt with a sarong. I recently went to a reception at the Thai prime minister's wearing a pair of boots, a sarong and a traditional top. I was the only Thai woman at the party in a sarong. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy.

© 1998