Hot
Ticket
Words: Jean Paul Galtieri
Super fit superstar Jane Fonda, leggy author Naomi
Campbell, Blue Lagoon star Brooke Shields and award-winning film director Zhang Yimou will
judge the 1,500 yuan-a-ticket Ford Model's Supermodel
of the World Contest at Beijing Worker's Gymnasium on
Saturday, December 4.
Karina is first competing in the China national final of
the Ford Supermodel Contest. If she succeeds, she will be the country's representative in the international face-off.
The Ford Supermodel Contest was first introduced in 1980,
when the winner was dubbed "the face of the 1980s". Competitors from 35
countries now vie for the prize --a US$250,000 year-long contract with Ford.
The final is usually broadcast live on TV. In the past 19
years, locations of the final have included the Sporting Club in Monte Carlo, the Dolphin
in Orlando and the Grand Hyatt in New York City.
Karina's previous
awards include best image and best performance at the Dalian Fashion Festival this year.
She regularly models for Trends and Fashion magazines.
Q & A
How do your parents view your success?
They are 100 percent behind me, and very happy for me. You see, they are very open-minded.
What did you eat for breakfast today?
One cup of milk, one pear, one cream cake.
What did you eat for lunch?
I cooked it myself: Mushroom with youcai. Tomatoes, mushroom and egg soup.
What kind of exercise do you do to keep your
figure?
Lifting weights, skipping, simple yoga.
Why did you choose to be a model?
I didn'T. It all happened so naturally. I had never thought of this career when I was
young. But as I grew up, I got taller and taller. My mother very much likes fashion so as
time went on more and more people, my brother'S friends
especially, urged me to compete.
How is your confidence for the upcoming
contest?
Very confident. I have a clear sense of my identity and my image. I feel my face fits a
more international sense of beauty. Maybe it doesn't fit
the domestic market so well. Chinese style is big eyes, high bridge, two eyelids, that
petite wallflower image. But the Western market likes something more exotic, narrower
eyes, single eyelid. They want tall, healthy, lively women. So I am confident about my
figure and face. I am certain Ford likes me. These are only superficial reasons. I am more
confident about my experience.
I majored in fashion design performance at the Beijing Fashion Institute. Before this, I
studied in kindergarten teacher training college. There I learnt performing arts,
keyboards and singing. After graduation from the fashion institute, I went to the Beijing
Language and Culture Institute to study French. They wanted me to stay and study to be a
teacher. But I preferred to be a model. So I really chose to do this and I just feel the
timing is right. There's a Chinese saying 'Chances
come to those who are ready.'
What did you have to do to make this contest?
My friend worked for Grace Han, the organizer (President, Ford Asia). So I went over to
the Great Wall Sheraton Hotel and met Grace and she agreed right away. No photo was
necessary. I entered the North China Competition and made the final three. I was one of 10
winners from 115 contestants.
What must you do at the contest?
There are 50 girls competing at the end of November. Only one can go on to the
international final in December. It lasts several days. First they measure the body, then
there's photography, outdoors and inside. We models
live in the same hotel with the judges and talent spotters from 30 countries. We don't
know who they are. The judges will be able to observe us. The
stage contest is more for show, not so important as the judges already have their opinion
of the models.
What are your plans after modeling?
I want to go to Paris to learn photography.
Do you ever worry men/women do not value you for
yourself, but only for how you look?
In different places, there are different attitudes. In China, people don't really regard me as beautiful. In fact, they seem to not notice me
at all. They just judge me on my abilities. Foreigners on the whole seem to mostly notice
my appearance.
KARINA: FAST FACTS
English Name: Karina
Chinese Name: Zhang Xiaoqing
Hometown: Jinan, Shandong
Home: Shuangjing, Beijing
Age: 21
Blood type: B
Animal: Snake
Height: 1.80 meters
Statistics: 86-60-90
Favorite book: The Hunchback of Notre Dame, by Victor Hugo. Wei Cheng by
Qian Zhongshu
Favorite animal: Dog, dolphin
Favorite color: All colors
Favorite fashion brand: Kenzo, Louis Vuitton
Favorite movie: Le Dernièr Metro
Favorite Chinese city: Lhasa
Hobbies: Singing, dancing, reading, writing, travel and photography.
Place you most long to visit: Paris
Why: Romance, a fashion capital
Marital status: Single
Favorite star: Gerard Depardieu, Jiang Wen |
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