Spring Fashion Feature: Local Multicultural Model Amber Abara Is the Face of #StopAsianHate
Being on a billboard in New York’s Times Square is a huge honor, but being on a billboard in Times Square representing a movement close to your heart and home was beyond incredible for newbie model Amber Abara.
Model Amber Abara, Premier Models and Talent. Hair and Makeup: Jasmine Mullins; Photo: Harold Julian
Her mix of Chinese, Filipino and Thai explains why Amber Abara’s eye-catching photo, which was initially on the cover of a small Filipino publication, became the image for the #StopAsianHate campaign in New York’s Times Square. The publicity from the billboard was great, but for Abara, there was a bigger honor. “I got to represent my culture and the people who look like me and look up to me,” says the Salt Lake resident. As a multicultural model, she faced discrimination. “An agent told me my skin was too dark,” Abara says. “It’s something I can’t change. Yet, I was advised to try to get lighter and stay out of the sun.” Imagine hearing that as a teenager. She fought through the sting of those statements and focused on the wise words of her parents. “They said, remember my goals and what makes me happy, stay grounded, to grow from good and bad obstacles,” she says. “With genuine love that surrounds me, I am unstoppable.”
Dress, $825, Sportmax.com. Double-wobble drop earrings, $38, J.Crew on the Island, Ala Moana Center, (808) 949-5252.
“With genuine love that surrounds me, I am unstoppable.”
Amber Abara, Premier Models and Talent. Hair and Makeup: Jasmine Mullins; Photo: Harold Julian
Black shiny soft nappa cropped top, $1,600, Pale lilac-multicolor strass embroidered flower lace pencil midi dress with scalloped edge, $3,800, Gucci, Ala Moana Center, (808) 942-1148, gucci.com. Loeffler Randall Camellia knotted sandals, $395, Saks Fifth Avenue, International Market Place, (808) 600-2500, saksfifthavenue.com.
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