Fashion
Issa Lish Wants More Model Scouts In Mexico
If you saw model Issa Lish walking down the street, you probably wouldn’t be able to guess where she is from, which is exactly why the fashion industry loves the half-Japanese, half-Mexican beauty. She is ethnically ambiguous, which gives her a distinct edge in an industry filled with Giseles and Karlies. However, as you might’ve guessed, it's not often that models are being scouted in Mexico.
In an interview with Style.com, Lish explains the problem, saying, “I think people have this very literal idea of what Mexico is, based on what they’ve been taught. People assume we’re all short and, like, we live in the sand with donkeys. It’s a complete stereotype, but people still believe it and it affects things like scouting. People don’t bother to scout there because they think like, ‘Oh, it’s not a country where tall women are.’ Meanwhile, there are so many beautiful people in Mexico.”
Obviously, Lish completely obliterates this stereotype. At 5’11” Lish definitely fits in with her runway companions, towering over the rest of the world in their five-inch stilettos at Jean Paul Gaultier and Anna Sui. It's time for the world to start looking for models in places other than Brazil (sorry, Victoria's Secret) and Eastern Europe. Lish, who was recently on the cover of Vogue Italia, continues to prove that beauty comes in all shapes, sizes, and ethnicities, and it would only be advantageous for modeling scouts to seek out women in “unexpected” places. Rock on.
Images: Issa Lish/Instagram