Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Kang credits Asian martial arts form for teaching her to respect her body
Mia Kang
Mia Kang
Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue's Rookie of the Year 2017 model Mia Kang revealed how Muay Thai, a form of Asian martial arts, helped her overcome personal, physical and psychological traumas regarding her body shape.
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The 28-year-old, who is gearing up for her debut professional fight in May, spoke about how she was bullied for being overweight. "I've spent most of my life under the pressure of trying to be the industry's standard of beauty," Kang told People Magazine.
"I've spent my whole life trying to conform and trying to fit into various boxes. I grew up overweight and bullied and I hated myself. I've also been extremely anorexic and size 0 and I hated myself. I've always been too Asian or too Caucasian, or too tall or too short, or too skinny or too curvy. I've spent my entire life being uncomfortable in the skin that I'm in."
Practicing Muay Thai proved to be a blessing for Kang, who by her own admission, learned to respect her own body more. "I got a lot bigger, I gained muscled, I have definition, I have abs," she said. "It was exactly what I needed, being in the industry that I'm in."
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