{{Short description|Model}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}} {{Use British English|date=June 2019}} {{Infobox model | name = Mia Kang | image = Mia Kang headshot on UPROXX.jpg | image_size = | caption = Kang on Uproxx in 2017 | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1988|12|30|df=yes}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.awakeningfighters.com/athletes/mia-kang/ | title=Mia Kang - Muay Thai - Awakening Fighters}}</ref> | birth_place = Hong Kong | death_date = | death_place = | height = 5 ft 10 in<ref name="SIWinner">{{cite news |last1=Gray |first1=Andy |title=Mia Kang wins 2016 SI Swimsuit Model Search |url=https://swimsuit.si.com/swim-daily/2016/08/22/mia-kang-si-swimsuit-model-search-winner |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=Swimsuit {{!}} SI.com |date=22 August 2016 |language=en-us}}</ref> | hair_color = Brown | eye_color = Brown | agency = IMG Models<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imgmodels.com/miakang|title=IMG Models: Mia Kang|access-date=19 October 2020|archive-date=1 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401152659/https://www.imgmodels.com/miakang|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/Miakang/|title=Mia Kang 미아 (@Miakang) • Instagram photos and videos|website=www.instagram.com}}</ref> }}
'''Mia Kang''' (born 30 December 1988) is a British-Swiss fashion model, Muay Thai fighter, body confidence advocate, and television host based in New York City. Kang grew up in Hong Kong and was bullied as a young girl for being overweight. She halved her weight at the age of 13 and was soon scouted as a model. Kang modeled across Asia and Europe through her high school and college years. She got a master's degree in finance and financial law in England, and left modeling to work as a commodities trader, before returning to modeling in New York City and winning the 2016 ''Sports Illustrated'' Swimsuit Issue model search and being named a 2017 Rookie.
Despite her modeling success, Kang was miserable with the eating disorders that she felt the modeling industry demanded to stay thin, until she took up the martial art Muay Thai in Thailand. Training and fighting gained her respect for her body, healthy eating habits, weight and muscle. She now advocates for women's body confidence, while continuing to model, and hosting ''Spy Games'', an American reality competition television series.
== Early life and modeling == [[File:Mia Kang in dress on UPROXX.jpg|right|thumb|upright|Kang on Uproxx in 2017]]
Mia Kang was born and raised in Hong Kong, though she has Swiss nationality.<ref name="C-Heads">{{cite web |last=Engel |first=Lauren |title=New Generation: Mia Kang |url=https://www.c-heads.com/2016/01/14/new-generation-mia-kang/ |website=C-Heads Magazine |access-date=21 March 2020 |date=14 January 2016}}</ref><ref name="Harper's Bazaar"/><ref name="SIWinner"/> Her father is British and her mother is South Korean; they met while living in Taiwan, then moved to Hong Kong for business.<ref name="Yahoo"/><ref name="HalfKorean">{{cite web |last=Sanders|first=David Lee|title=Interview with Mia Kang |url=http://www.halfkorean.com/?page_id=11649 |website=HalfKorean.com |access-date=19 March 2020 |date=11 July 2018}}</ref><ref name="Harper's Bazaar">{{cite magazine |last1=Sauers |first1=Jenna |title=The Fashion Industry Is Obsessed With Size. This Model Doesn't Care for Those Rules. |url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/a22674366/the-fashion-industry-is-obsessed-with-size-this-model-is-challenging-the-status-quo/ |access-date=19 March 2020 |magazine=Harper's Bazaar |date=22 August 2018}}</ref> Both parents were academics, with her father being a physicist from Oxford University.<ref name="C-Heads"/> She has four older half-siblings (two half-sisters with the same father and a Taiwanese mother, and two half-brothers with the same mother and a different British father), but they lived in other parts of the world as she was growing up.<ref name="C-Heads"/><ref name="HalfKorean"/>
As a teenager, Kang studied at and eventually graduated from the international Island School in Hong Kong,<ref name="SCMP2016"/><ref name="SCMP2014">{{cite news |last1=Zhang |first1=Jing |title=Hong Kong top models Angie Ng, Mia Kang and Kimberly Verge talk style |url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/48hrs/article/1583801/hong-kong-top-models-angie-ng-mia-kang-and-kimberly-verge-talk-style |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=South China Morning Post |date=4 September 2014 |language=en}}</ref> but never felt like she fit in. She says the Asian kids would socialize together and the western kids would socialize together, but she was half Korean and half British, and never felt she belonged with either.<ref name="C-Heads"/>
Kang grew up bullied and overweight, though a ''Sports Illustrated'' Swimsuit Issue cover with model Tyra Banks hung on her wall.<ref name="SCMP2016"/> When she was 13, a doctor told her she was obese, and at risk of weight related diabetes. So she went to the other extreme and essentially stopped eating, halving her weight in a couple of months.<ref name="Yahoo">{{cite news |last1=Freydkin |first1=Donna |title=How Curvy 'Sports Illustrated' Swimsuit Model Mia Kang Stopped Hating Herself |url=https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/how-curvy-sports-illustrated-swimsuit-model-mia-kang-stopped-hating-herself-195440917.html |access-date=21 March 2020 |work=Yahoo! Style}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Spruch-Feiner |first1=Sara |title=How One Model's Sport Helped Her Overcome Addiction And An Eating Disorder |url=https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/a23012132/model-mia-kang-overcoming-eating-disorder/ |access-date=29 January 2021 |work=Women's Health |date=1 October 2018}}</ref> She says that she was around {{convert|86|kg|lb}} before dropping to around {{convert|43|kg|lb}}; she was size 14 and became size 0.<ref name="Scott201703">{{cite news |last1=Scott |first1=Mathew |title=From swimsuit model to mixed martial artist: Hong Kong-raised model Mia Kang prepares for her muay thai debut |url=https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2079898/swimsuit-model-mixed-martial-artist-hong-kong-raised-mia-kang |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=South China Morning Post |date=17 March 2017 |language=en}} Also available as {{cite news |last1=Scott |first1=Mathew |title=Swimsuit model Mia Kang debuts to muay thai |url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/world/2019/04/672_226057.html |access-date=22 March 2020 |work=Korea Times |date=21 March 2017 |language=en}}</ref> At the same time, she grew {{convert|6|in|cm}}.<ref name="HalfKorean"/> The boys who had bullied her now asked her out on dates.<ref name="Yahoo"/>
Getting thin led to her being scouted as a model while still 13 years old, by her dance teacher.<ref name="SCMP2016"/><ref name="SCMP2014"/> One of her first jobs was a Levi's campaign, and she remembers being surprised seeing her picture in shops in Times Square.<ref name="SCMP2014"/>
After graduating high school, Kang modeled abroad, in Tokyo, Singapore, Milan, and London.<ref name="SCMP2014"/> For several years she was signed with the London Models 1 agency.<ref name="SCMP2014"/>
== Higher education and finance career ==
Kang studied philosophy and economics at Bristol University, earning a bachelor's degree, then got a master's degree in finance and financial law at the School of Oriental and African Studies.<ref name="SCMP2014"/><ref name="SCMP2016"/><ref name="C-Heads"/> She says her education is the thing in her life that she is proudest of, and intends to return one day for a doctorate or an MBA.<ref name="Vogue"/>
After graduating, Kang left modeling to use her degree in finance as a London commodities trader. She was on the path to becoming a derivatives consultant in her mid-20s, when she realized she felt stifled and decided to try the modeling profession one more time.<ref name="Vogue">{{cite news |last1=Okwodu |first1=Janelle |title=Mia Kang Is a Model With a Mission |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/mia-kang-model-sports-illustrated-rookie-diversity-in-fashion |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=Vogue |date=8 March 2017 |language=en}}</ref>
== Return to modeling == right|thumb|Kang in swimsuit in 2017
In 2015, Kang signed with Trump Model Management and moved from Hong Kong to New York City, home of most of the world's top models.<ref name="SCMP2016"/> ''Sports Illustrated'' was her first New York City modeling assignment, and she was the first Hongkonger to become a ''Sports Illustrated'' model.<ref name="SCMP2016">{{cite news |last1=Zhang |first1=Jing |title=Hong Kong's Mia Kang on her victory in Sports Illustrated global model contest |url=https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2010758/hong-kongs-mia-kang-her-victory-sports-illustrated-global |access-date=21 March 2020 |work=South China Morning Post |date=29 August 2016 |language=en}}</ref> She also worked in campaigns for Guess.<ref>{{cite web | last=Zhang"] | first=["Jing | title=Mia Kang: Journey From Self Loathing to Self Love | website=Prestige Online - HongKong | date=11 January 2021 | url=https://www.prestigeonline.com/hk/people/mia-kang-journey-from-self-loathing-to-self-love/ | access-date=29 February 2024}}</ref> In August 2016, she defeated five other models from around the world in a public vote and was named the winner of the magazine's Swimsuit 2016 Model Search, to be featured in the 2017 ''Sports Illustrated'' Swimsuit Issue.<ref name="SCMP2016"/><ref name="SIWinner"/> She was also declared a ''Sports Illustrated'' Swimsuit Issue 2017 Rookie.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hendrix |first1=Kelsey |title=SI Swimsuit 2017 Rookie Reveal: Mia Kang |url=https://swimsuit.si.com/swim-daily/2017/02/03/mia-kang-si-swimsuit-2017-rookie |website=Swimsuit {{!}} SI.com |access-date=19 March 2020 |language=en-us |date=3 February 2017}}</ref><ref name="People2017">{{cite news |last1=Olya |first1=Gabrielle |title=Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Mia Kang Says Muay Thai Gave Her Body Confidence |url=https://people.com/bodies/mia-kang-muay-thai-body-confidence/ |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=People |date=13 April 2017 |language=en}}</ref>
However, she was very unhappy. She was being asked to starve herself, and go on 10-day liquid diets between photo shoots. It was normal for her to go four days without eating.<ref name="Today">{{cite news |last1=Freydkin |first1=Donna |title='I hadn't eaten solid food in 10 days': Model on getting healthy and loving her body |url=https://www.today.com/health/mia-kang-sports-illustrated-model-opens-about-eating-disorder-t129152 |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=TODAY.com |date=6 May 2018 |language=en}}</ref> She was obsessed with being thinner, and living off of "Marlboro Lights, black coffee, and alcohol."<ref name="InStyle">{{cite news |last1=Pulia |first1=Shalayne |title=Model Mia Kang on How Boxing Helped Her Fight Body Dysmorphia: "I Learned Food Is Not a Reward for Starvation" |url=https://www.instyle.com/celebrity/mia-kang-muay-thai-fighting-essay |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=InStyle |date=4 August 2017 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Silberbauer |first1=Cally |title="I Am Unapologetically Myself — I Am Not Defined By My Weight" |url=https://www.womenshealthsa.co.za/fitness/mia-kang/ |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=Women's Health South Africa |date=27 February 2018}}</ref> At her low point, she was contemplating suicide.<ref name="Self">{{cite news |last1=Shy |first1=Leta |title=Model Mia Kang on How Becoming a Muay Thai Fighter Saved Her Life |url=https://www.self.com/story/mia-kang |work=Self |date=30 December 2018 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Today"/>
== Muay Thai and body confidence == right|thumb|Kang in Muay Thai training in 2017 Kang's family have a home in Koh Samui, an island off the east coast of Thailand.<ref name=Scott201703/> Kang was taking a 10-day holiday from modeling there in 2016, when she noticed young fighters from a local gym training in the combat sport Muay Thai by the side of the road, and asked if she could try it; initially just to help her lose more of the weight that she was told she needed to.<ref name=Scott201703/><ref name="InStyle"/> The coaches were impressed enough by her workout that they suggested she join.<ref name=Scott201703/> The 10 days turned into a six or nine-month training camp, of six day a week routines.<ref name=Scott201703/> The martial arts training taught her to respect her body.<ref name="People2017"/> The workouts were so intense she forgot she smoked.<ref name=Scott201703/> She stopped restricting what she ate, added 20-30+ pounds, became more muscled, and gained definition.<ref name="People2017"/><ref name="ESPN">{{cite news |last1=Cioppa |first1=Deanna |title=Knocked down to knockout: Model Mia Kang used Muay Thai to find new respect for her body |url=https://www.espn.com/espnw/culture/feature/story/_/id/19543205/knocked-knockout-model-mia-kang-used-muay-thai-find-new-respect-body |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=ESPN |date=5 June 2017 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="InStyle"/> Her dress size went from a size two-four to a size four-six.<ref name="ESPN"/><ref name="Yahoo"/>
left|thumb|Kang in Muay Thai training in 2017 Kang began to alternate her time between training and returning to New York for modeling. She kept training in New York with Phil Nurse at The Wat, and Hollywood Hino of Church Street Boxing, for about three hours daily, and in Thailand at the Bangkok Yokkao and her first gym, Yodyut, on Koh Samui, for about six hours each day.<ref>{{cite news |last=Feitelberg |first=Rosemary |title=Sports Illustrated to Trail Model During Muay Thai Training for Documentary |url=https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/sports-illustrated-swimsuit-model-mia-kang-muay-thai-time-inc-training-for-first-professional-muay-thai-fight-10866531/ |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=Women's Wear Daily |date=12 April 2017 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Tan |first1=Pakkee |title=Mia Kang Reveals Her Top Diet Tips & Her Secret To Staying Fit |url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com.sg/beauty/mia-kang-on-beauty-fitness-diet/ |access-date=23 March 2020 |magazine=Harper's Bazaar Singapore|date=17 May 2017}}</ref> She decided to compete in her first professional Muay Thai fight in May 2017. She would have done it earlier, but her modeling agency objected strenuously; the money wasn't much compared to US modeling fees, and being injured in a fight would put her career in doubt.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Santarossa |first1=Adam |title=Supermodel bound for MMA glory |url=https://www.news.com.au/sport/ufc/supermodel-mia-kang-is-showing-serious-fighting-talent/news-story/dde88339a979e97979949dbd65e5188a |website=News.com.au |access-date=19 March 2020 |language=en |date=30 May 2017}}</ref> At least she needed to first shoot the ''Sports Illustrated'' Swimsuit Issue.<ref name="Naftulin">{{cite news |last1=Naftulin |first1=Julia |title=SI Swim Model Mia Kang Overcame a Lifelong Eating Disorder With Muay Thai |url=https://www.health.com/celebrities/mia-kang-thai-boxing |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=Health.com |date=13 April 2017 |language=EN}}</ref> ''Sports Illustrated'' promised to film the fight for a digital documentary.<ref name="People2017"/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Hendrix |first1=Kelsey |title=Mia Kang is set to compete in first professional Muay Thai fight |url=https://swimsuit.si.com/swim-daily/2017/04/13/mia-kang-first-professional-muay-thai-fight-thailand |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=Swimsuit {{!}} SI.com |date=13 April 2017 |language=en-us}}</ref> She took a month long training with legendary Muay Thai fighter Saenchai to prepare for her fight.<ref name=Scott201703/> Her trainers recommended she "have as much sex as possible" before her fight, to increase testosterone levels.<ref>{{cite news |title=Female Muay Thai fighter advised to have more sex before fights |url=https://www.asianage.com/life/more-features/030717/muay-thai-fighter-advised-to-have-more-sex-before-fights.html |access-date=29 January 2021 |work=The Asian Age |date=3 July 2017}}</ref>
Kang's first professional fight was on 7 May 2017. She was matched against Thai fighter Nong B, who had five bouts experience.<ref name="SCMP20170511"/> She won the second round, then went in with "heavy hands" in the third round, hitting her opponent hard, and winning by technical knockout.<ref name="SCMP20170511">{{cite news |last1=Scott |first1=Mathew |title=I want to do it again, says bruised Mia Kang after first muay thai victory |url=https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2093949/i-want-do-it-again-says-beaten-and-bruised-mia-kang-after-swimsuit |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=South China Morning Post |date=11 May 2017 |language=en}}</ref> After her victory, Kang was excited to continue into mixed martial arts, and signed with manager Malki Kawa of leading MMA agency First Round Management.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Scott |first1=Mathew |title=Mia goes MMA: Hong Kong model Mia Kang signs with leading mixed martial arts agent |url=https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2095295/mia-goes-mma-hong-kong-model-kang-signs-leading-mixed-martial-arts |access-date=21 March 2020 |work=South China Morning Post |date=23 May 2017 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Raimondi |first1=Marc |title=Swimsuit model, Muay Thai fighter Mia Kang considering competing in MMA |url=https://www.mmafighting.com/2017/5/29/15703120/swimsuit-model-muay-thai-fighter-mia-kang-considering-competing-in-mma |website=MMA Fighting |access-date=19 March 2020 |language=en |date=29 May 2017}}</ref>
right|thumb|Kang in Muay Thai training in 2017 Kang credits Muay Thai for teaching her to love her body and even saving her life.<ref name="Self"/><ref name="Today"/> She became a body confidence advocate, encouraging all women to have strong and healthy bodies.<ref name="People2017" /> She started her own all-female boxing club in SoHo, New York, called "Killa Girl Gang", after her fighting name, "Killa Kang", for all levels of fitness.<ref name="Scott201803">{{cite news |last1=Pithers |first1=Ellie |title=5 Ways Mia Kang is Breaking The Lingerie Model Mould |url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/gallery/meet-mia-kang-amazons-new-lingerie-campaign-star |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=British Vogue |date=4 December 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Kelley |first1=Grace |title=Mia Kang: Leader of Our Girl Gang – HERS Magazine |url=https://hers-magazine.com/article/mia-kang-leader-of-our-girl-gang/ |access-date=19 March 2020 |date=14 March 2018}}</ref> She hosted a body positivity retreat on Koh Samui with travel agency 109 World.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Scott |first1=Mathew |title=Hong Kong model's Muay Thai boxing helps her battle body issues |url=https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/2137847/hong-kong-model-beat-her-body-issues-thanks-muay-thai-and |access-date=21 March 2020 |work=South China Morning Post |date=20 March 2018 |language=en}} Also available as {{cite news |last1=Scott |first1=Mathew |title=Hong Kong model beats personal body issues through Muay Thai |url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/regional/2018/03/20/hong-kong-model-beat-her-body-issues-thanks-to-muay-thai--and-is-using-her-passion-for-it-to-help-ot |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=The Star (Malaysia) |date=20 March 2018}}</ref> A May 2018 Instagram post in which she compared photos of her emaciated size two, {{convert|99|lb|kg}} body in 2015 with her size eight, {{convert|170|lb|kg}} body in 2018, drew 14,000 "likes" and international press coverage.<ref name="Today"/><ref name="Jejune">{{cite news |last1=Bucca |first1=Kira |title=COVER STORY - Battling the Beauty Standard with Mia Kang |url=https://www.jejunemagazine.com/home/miakang |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=Jejune Magazine |issue=2 |date=16 April 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Waters |first1=Lowenna |title=Model reveals how being a size two made her unhappy in powerful Instagram post |url=https://www.indy100.com/article/model-unhealthy-unhappy-size-two-mia-kang-viral-instagram-8345096 |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=The Independent |date=10 May 2018 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Barr |first1=Sabrina |title=Sports Illustrated model Mia Kang shares her battle with eating disorder on Instagram |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/mia-kang-sports-illustrated-model-eating-disorder-body-dysmorphia-instagram-a8344836.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220512/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/mia-kang-sports-illustrated-model-eating-disorder-body-dysmorphia-instagram-a8344836.html |archive-date=12 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=The Independent |date=10 May 2018 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Miller |first1=Korin |title=Model Mia Kang Shared A Powerful Before And After Photo Of Her Eating Disorder Recovery |url=https://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/a20646503/mia-kang-eating-disorder-instagram/ |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=Women's Health |date=10 May 2018}} Also available as {{cite news |last=Miller |first=Korin |title=Model Mia Kang Shared A Powerful Before And After Photo Of Her Eating Disorder Recovery |url=https://www.womenshealth.com.au/mia-kang-eating-disorder |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=Women's Health |date=11 May 2018 |language=en-us}}</ref><ref name="Levi">{{cite news |last1=Levi |first1=Anthea |title=This SI Swim Model Shared a Powerful Post About Going From a Size 2 to a Size 8 and Overcoming Her Eating Disorder |url=https://www.health.com/celebrities/mia-kang-weight-gain |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=Health |date=9 May 2018 |language=EN}} Also available as {{cite news |last1=Levi |first1=Anthea |title=SI Swim Model Mia Kang on Going From a Size 2 to a Size 8 After Overcoming Eating Disorders |url=https://people.com/health/si-swim-model-mia-kang-overcoming-eating-disorder/ |access-date=23 March 2020 |work=People Health|date=9 May 2018 |language=en}}</ref> Kang was named a 2018 ''Today Show'' Style Hero, and the 2019 ''Self'' magazine New Year's Challenge star.<ref name="Self"/><ref name="Today"/>
Kang continues to model, but says that her new size, eight or ten in 2018, puts her above the standard model sizes, and yet below the plus-size model sizes, so clients ask that she either gain or lose weight.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nolasco |first1=Stephanie |title=Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model Mia Kang recalls having 'a complete breakdown' while 'living with eating disorders' |url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/sports-illustrated-swimsuit-model-mia-kang-recalls-having-a-complete-breakdown-while-living-with-eating-disorders |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=Fox News |date=24 August 2018}}</ref>
In 2020, Kang became the host of ''Spy Games'', a reality competition television series on the American television channel Bravo, in which ten contestants compete in spy-inspired exercises for $100,000.<ref>{{cite web |last=Petski |first=Denise |title=Bravo Orders 'Spy Games' Espionage-Inspired Competition Series |url=https://deadline.com/2019/05/bravo-orders-spy-games-espionage-inspired-competition-series-hosted-mia-kang-1202607177/ |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=19 March 2020 |language=en |date=6 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Corinthios |first1=Aurelie |title=Martial Artist Mia Kang Coaches 10 Aspiring Spies Through Lock-Picking Challenge in Spy Games |url=https://people.com/tv/bravo-spy-games-lock-picking-challenge-exclusive/ |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=People |date=27 January 2020 |language=en}}</ref>
== Charity work == Kang tries to work with a charity in every country she models in.<ref name="C-Heads"/> She supports the Wor Watthana Muay Thai gym that helps children in an impoverished region of northeast Thailand.<ref name="Scott201803"/><ref name="Jejune"/> In 2017, she raised money for a sex trafficking project called "18 for 18 Project Rescue", by skydiving from {{convert|18000|ft|m}}, the highest in North America.<ref name="Jejune"/><ref>{{cite news |title=How Mia Kang overcame her insecurities to become a top model |url=https://galoremag.com/mia-kang-swimsuit-model-photo-shoot/ |access-date=24 March 2020 |work=Galore |date=15 September 2017 |language=en}}</ref>
==Publication== Kang published a memoir entitled ''Knockout'' in 2020. In her memoir, shediscussed her very personal journey from self-loathing to self-love as she struggled with body dysmorphia and eating disorders in her youth and during her modeling career. Her memoir is centered around her experience with Muay Thai and the positive impact it has had on her life. ''Knockout'' was published by Abrams Books in October 2020, and was met with positive reception.<ref>{{cite news|date=22 October 2020|title='Knockout': A Memoir About A Journey From Self-Hate To Self-Love|work=NPR|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/10/22/926809416/knockout-a-memoir-about-a-journey-from-self-hate-to-self-love}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.abramsbooks.com/product/knockout_9781419743320/|title=Knockout by Mia Kang|date=6 August 2023 |publisher=Abrams Books|isbn=9781419743320 |access-date=16 July 2021}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
==External links== {{commons category|Mia Kang}} *{{Official website}} *{{Fashionmodel}} *{{IMDb name}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kang, Mia}} Category:1988 births Category:Living people Category:Alumni of SOAS University of London Category:Alumni of the University of Bristol Category:Hong Kong female models Category:People educated at Island School Category:Hong Kong people of British descent Category:Hong Kong people of Korean descent Category:British female models Category:British people of Korean descent Category:Swiss people of British descent Category:Swiss people of Korean descent Category:Swiss female models Category:Swiss female Muay Thai practitioners Category:English female Muay Thai practitioners Category:Hong Kong female Muay Thai practitioners Category:Swiss female martial artists Category:British female martial artists Category:Hong Kong female martial artists Category:British expatriates in the United States Category:Swiss expatriates in the United States Category:Hong Kong expatriates in the United States Category:21st-century Swiss sportswomen