Chrissy Teigen On Lack Of Asian Models In Fashion

chrissy teigen

by Rebecca Cope |
Published on

Chrissy Teigen is one of the most outspoken models in the industry, and that's why we love her.

She's shared pictures of her stretch marks, called out the racist pap attacking her husband John Legend and has been embroiled in a six-year-long Twitter war with Donald Trump, and now she's speaking out about the lack of diversity in modelling - particularly the under-representation of Asian models. Teigen herself is of Thai, German and Norweigen origins.

'I want it to be a normal thing to be able to see Asian models, and I think Asian models are really underrepresented in the industry, especially on the runways or in magazines,' she told E! News.

She also shared her views on cultural appropriation - a topic that seems to garner new controversy on a weekly basis - saying that she wasn't so concerned with it.

'I personally am not offended by cultural appropriation of any sort because I feel like it does pay homage, but at the same time there are a lot of beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, Asian women that could do the same thing,' she continued.

She also took the opportunity to talk about the lack of racial diversity in films too, saying: 'I think it's really important to start embracing people… seeing them in roles that are not necessarily 'That Asian Girl' or 'That Asian Boy'… In movies you're like 'Oh, this Asian girl is dating this white guy' — I want that to be normal.'

She's got a point: The Fashion Spot reports that only 7% of models on the spring/summer 2017 runways were Asian, while only 1% of lead roles in Hollywood go to Asian actors, according to Teen Vogue.

It's far from the first time (and we wager not the last) that Teigen has spoken out about diveristy. Her comments couldn't help but remind us of a Tweet she did last year, when she called out Miss Teen USA for its entirely white finalist line-up.

Teigen is currently on the cover of Sports Illustrated, marking her return to modelling after giving birth to baby Luna.

READ MORE: Why Chrissy Teigen's Stretch Mark Picture Matters

READ MORE: Chrissy Teigen Opens Up About Modelling Post-Pregnancy

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