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Mimi Tao
Thai fashion model From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Mimi Tao is a Thai fashion model. She is best known for being the first transgender model to appear on the reality television series, Project Runway.
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Early life
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Tao was born and raised in Khon Kaen, Thailand.[4] She is the middle child of three, with an older sister and a younger brother, all born one year apart. At eleven she became a monk, but left the monastery after six years to help her family, who had been bankrupted by a financial crisis. She left for Pattaya and there she was offered a job as a cabaret dancer. After working for three months she left Pattaya to search for a better paying job in Bangkok. Tao successfully applied to work for the renowned Calypso Cabaret show and held that position for another couple of months. A TV documentary about the Thai supermodel Rojjana “Yui” Phetkanha which she came across while working there, sparked her interest in modelling.[4][1] She was a fan and after some persuasion, convinced Phetkanha to help her learn modeling.[4][5] Yui taught Tao everything she knew: catwalk techniques, posing skills, how to get in the best light at a photo shoot, and how to book jobs. Tao spent three months studying under Yui until she was ready to enter the modeling industry on her own.[1]
Phetkanha’s story was what touched me and made me want to become a model. She came from a poor family and, like me, had tanned skin, high cheekbones and a squarish face—all of which weren’t features that Thai people would traditionally consider beautiful—yet she was still able to make it and become so famous. That’s when I decided I wanted to be like her, and I set out looking for her, hoping that she would teach me to model.
— Tao for Tatler Asia.[5]
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Career
Tao moved to the United States in 2017 to pursue a modeling career after failed attempts in Thailand and Singapore.[5][2] In 2018, Tao appeared in 24 shows at New York Fashion Week.[6]
In 2021 Tao became a regular model on season 19 of Project Runway.[5][4] She was the show's first transgender model.[7][8] She also was a regular model in 2023's season 20.
In 2019, Tao was represented by the Los Angeles modeling agency Slay, which represents only transgender models.[4][2] As of 2024, Tao is represented by Super Red Modeling.[9]
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Personal life
References
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