My name is Jade; I am a 30 year old actress and model. I grew up financially “poor.” I put that in quotations because I never felt poor. However, with working immigrant parents, my diet was largely made up of not the healthiest options – things like frozen TV dinners, Lunchables, and fast food. This led to excess weight, and over the years, I’ve had to go through my own health/fitness journey. I experienced a lot of bullying for my body, as I am more of a slim thiccc Asian gal, which wasn’t “in” back in the day. It deeply affected me and led to eating disorders, body dysmorphia, and abusive relationships for many years. I eventually left my childhood dream of becoming a violinist to pursue acting in college, as I found it to be an escape from my life to have someone else’s momentarily. After graduating with a theater degree, I began to go into TV/Film. Modeling fell into my lap by accident.
A lot of people told me I couldn’t get far – not pretty enough, not skinny enough, not tall enough, not enough representation in Hollywood anyway, etc. I pushed myself to grow as a creative. As a petite lady (5’3”), I’ve walked the runway. I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with the director as a stand-in for Olympian gold medalist Chloe Kim in a Nike x Finish Line commercial. I’ve been published in 7 magazines with full spreads. I’ve had the honor of working closely with the lead designer for a Marvel movie. I’ve been a lead model for Besame Cosmetics. This year, I was asked by Savage X Fenty to do a collab and be an ambassador. All these opportunities helped me grow confidence in myself and my skills as a creative storyteller.
Using my past, I am always pushing for self love, self care, and positivity on my social media platforms. When I valued myself enough to stop self abuse (thinking negatively, judging my body, etc) and to leave abusive relationships, the universe responded with gifts. It’s been 10 years of being in the entertainment industry. My process has been slow but I’ve been so blessed to have the opportunities that I’ve had while staying true to who I am.
