As one of the cover stars of ELLE Magazine’s Future of Fashion 2024 issue, supermodel Anok Yai is opening up like never before.
But what was perhaps the most surprising detail in her interview, was the revelation she gave when she described her upbringing before she was catapulted into modeling stardom. Having come to the U.S. with her parents from Cairo, Egypt at age 4, Yai shared how she struggled with social anxiety growing up and how she struggled to maintain friendships. She also described the racism she dealt with while living in the northern part of the United States.
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“I was the kid in the corner who didn’t talk to anybody,” she explained. “I never really had a set friend group. I was more of a floater. I was always on the outside looking in.”
She continued:“ Growing up dark-skinned in New Hampshire, there was a lot of racism. A lot of kids made fun of me for my skin color. I always knew I was meant for bigger things than the small town that I came from. I think that allowed me to feel comfortable with my separation from my peers.”
Additionally, it was that sense of separation that led her to expressing her individuality through her style, invoking her love of fashion and eventually modeling. Reflecting on her sense of style as a kid, Yai shared:
“My style was nonsense. I would have themes on certain days. One day, I’d wear all fur—fur boots, a fur jacket, a fur hat, even a fur wallet that had my flip phone in it,” she says. “I’ve always been the person who never cared to try to fit in. Kids always saw that as weird, but now as I grow into myself, I think it’s a special quality that I have.”
“There are aspects of myself as a child that I keep, but that fear I always had of being judged and not accepted? I let that shit go a long time ago,” she concluded.
To read Yai’s full interview, head to elle.com.
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