NOTE: although this was originally posted on February 7, I’ve brought it up to the top again to prevent Northman’s post below from getting out of hand.
When I first got on the net, there were basically two types of models: the traditional, gorgeous type who almost never do hardcore, and the amateurs who aren’t so gorgeous but are generally willing to do just about anything. Understandably, both types of models have their followers. However, there is now a third type who don’t really fit into either category: import models.With a few notable exceptions, import models are rarely gorgeous enough to fit into the first category: they mostly look like (and are) amateurs. But on the other hand, not only do they not do hardcore, but most of them don’t even do full nudity! What’s more, there are so many of them these days, with more and more all the time – so much so that many of our readers are saying “enough already!”. Yet their web sites often charge pretty high prices for their non-nude photos.
Which begs the obvious question: how can any of them make a decent living, let alone so many of them? I for one really want to know! More than a few of our readers have touched on this as well, so here is your chance to have your say on this issue without flooding a particular model’s thread.
Maybe we should ask an import model or two. Most of them have MySpace pages; maybe one will clue us in.
Unrelated: that’s not “begging the question.” From World Wide Words: “The original sense is of a logical fallacy, of taking for granted or assuming the thing that you are setting out to prove.”
http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-beg1.htm
Just FYI, y’know. π
Don’t you just love a pedant? π
As a pedant myslef, I think I could reasonably argue that the way I use it here is now so widespread that it is the correct modern usage of the expression. π
Yes, that is a good question how some models (not talking about import models) have paysites that charge high prices? I guess to each his own.
I really don’t think the ones that do implied nudity do make any money with their websites. I really like the import model look but I do think that they are the poorest career strategists I’ve ever seen.
For some reason import models think that paying customers enjoy the “tease” of almost showing skin but not really. Fans of the model will stick around for a month or two but will then give up. Most sites I’ve seen last about 3 months before they give up.
What does keep guys around for a while are chats – especially if the girl uses a webcam. Even this gets old if the girl still thinks the “tease” is the way to go.
I would imagine that a girl that is active in the import scene and does lots of shows could pull in a lot of members – even if they only stick around for a month or two. That is the only way that a non-nudity import model could ever make money.
Its not import models that I dislike. I actually find some of the import models to be quite attractive… ie. Leah Dizon (I know! Some of u guys don’t think she looks Asian)
There are just WAY too many overweight flat chested import models out there… or their boob jobs look way too fake. I actually prefer natural to fake even if they are small.
These unattractive ladies think they are hot shit and start posing and selling their “non suggestive nudes”. I bet you these girls actually think they are pretty hot too.
Even if the girl didn’t have a attractive body but had an attractive face, the least she could do is get the photographer to make sure she is posing right so her body is not completely in focus…
The problem with these women is they are FUGLY and don’t even know it! Are we the only people on this forum that have an issue with this?
Another point is the cultural differences between NA Import Models & the Japanese Imports Models.
IMO the Japanese IM have for years been the best but there lays a difference as culturaly they sometimes end up in the soft & hard porn industry even though in the beginning they were hoping to be just models.
Okay, shockr’s comments here are stronger than I would normally allow, but given that they aren’t targeted at anyone in particular – and also given that this thread is meant to be a place for our readers to vent on this issue – I am going to let it go. Besides, I absolutely agree with him 100%. These girls aren’t just inappropriate as models, but IMHO a lot of them simply aren’t attractive at all. Yet they seem to think they’re God’s gift to man! Personally, I find this nauseating: too many mediocre people think they’re great these days.
Oh, and I also agree about Leah: she may not be as Asian looking as I normally prefer, but she certainly is worthy of being a model!
man, at least helen su looks better than this girl…seems like anybody can take some provocative pix and become and import model…
I take it by ‘this girl’ you mean Ms. Annla?
I believe its a few things in society that drive it.
1. The stereotype that asians are hot, they have more than thier fare share of it and the usualy build is something that is attractive to me but not everyone is going to be a gem.
2. I have a friend that has a camera that looks professional. Even if you did own a digital reble doesn’t mean you are professional or that you know what to do with it.
3. Flat out ahh I forget the word…. concidedness. People can get so big headed about themselves.
With this in mind and the fact that “professional” model s now do things like have myspaces and what not to at least portray the view that they are close to thier friends it seems as though anyone can do it. Quite frankly there wil always be a nich market for someone, no matter how they look. This nitch might be big or small, I do agree with the statments that I’ve rad so far that they won’t last long. I do prefer nature for what its worth but when have to as Dr. Lee real or not then it falls generally into the OK bin too. Also not to say that some of these import models haven’t had work too.
However my dislike of it comes at the sharp contrast of where I started likeing of Asian women, it was actually Japanese women and most times it was from Blue Bird scans; The colors were so vibrant, the poses were fresh the sittngs were foreign and made me wonder, they weren’t (had arely any) vaginal shots – I’m sorry if I wanted to stare at a womans vagina I’d be an OBGYN, that isn’t the only (or one of my) attractive areas of the body. I digress, you could look at those pictures and not just say “There a naked woman” they seemed more like are, the art of my fantasies. Now having dabbled in phortgraphy I’ve learned the magic behind alot of things and it had jaded me. These ‘import models’ however seem to have no artistic hint, no real standings and seem to heavily cake on the makeup and look like any one I may pass on the street and ignore anyway.
Simply put its like the mediocar level is rising where before the only things that would leak into my view were spectacular. Because of this it is bound to dull the view of the lnadscape in total.
man, at least helen su looks better than this girl…seems like anybody can take some provocative pix and become and import model…
Import models are actually girls that model and appear in the booths at import car shows. The term has grown a bit since then, but that is still how most of the girls get started and where they make their mark.
In my experience most import models are strippers which makes their reluctance to do nude shots ironic. I doubt many of them make any significant money from their sites. They probably just break even. But it is a good way to market their stripper appearances which is where they make their living. How much is a lap dance these days anyway?
I also think that the growth of the “import model” phenomenon has a lot to do with the growth of “Asian fever.” Over the last decade or two (and probably since America’s wars in the orient), there has been a cultural shift in the North American perception of beauty. While the blonde with big tits (ie Pamela Anderson types) are still the most popular, nowadays the asian sexpot is on the rise. Many white dudes are just fed up with the attitudes of white women and the stereotype of the docile, asian sex siren is very popular. This fuels this whole thing IMO.
One last miscellaneous thing. Lea Dizon most definitely looks asian. She looks like a dead ringer for a Japanese idol girl which is ironic because she has no Japanese in her. But she does not look like a caucasian girl. Oh yeah, to prove one of my points, Lea is case in point, she is a stripper in the LA area. So regardless of her attempt to break into the Japanese pop music industry, she is shaking her T&A in American strip joints to pay her bills.
Don’t you guys see? It all revolves around the strip bars.
Web sites are just the ‘business card’. The real business must be done elsewhere. π
Helen Su is sexy+hot, it’s just that she wouldn’t pose nude. Maybe one day.
These days, girls want to be famous, either on TV, big brother, MySpace, anything. They will ridicule themselves for that dream. Society does not promote good work ethics and values, it just promotes fast success, fast millionaires, fast stars.
So, no wonder that all these girls want to catch their place in the sun. Unfortunately, they will probably just dream of it. But the magazines keep selling. π
There is a sleeper import model out on the east coast tri state area named Alice Yuan aka sexysamurai….guess what nationality she is =P. She goes to a lot of car shows around the NJ area…especially HIN around the area. If she was on the westcoast in LA i am sure shed be more popular. Unlike most plastered import models or just plain ugly amature ones shes got a unique look to go with an all natural 36-24.-36 body! Def one of my favs!
http://aliceyuan.com
http://myspace.com/aliceyuan
For me, this girl is just yet another overly ‘thick’ (to put it in the mildest terms I can) import model.
A few people have said their web sites break even, but I find it hard to believe they even do that. Still, if they are just a business card for their stripping activities then that makes sense. However, it makes the hypocrisy of these girls even more outrageous!
jaewong:
In my opinion, Alice Yuan looks like a “pork chop”… just like Ms. Annla. Big, Thick, and just not worth the zero’s and one’s that are needed to make a website.
Dr. Lee, it could also be that the girls are led to believe that they can make money out of the websites. Hopes, that is. Or good business for design webshops. Nevertheless, I expect that just a few make some good $ online.
There may be something else going on here as well. I have read on various porn forums from what I would call credible sources that many if not most of these asian “import models” are very family oriented. They all refuse porn and many times because it would disrespect their family. There is an underlying asian conservatism going on here. The internet is a very public thing. Nude pictures (not to mention porn) would get around eventually to the family.
Now I have to add that I can see being suspicious of this. We live in such a slutty culture after all. But in North America there is definitely a love/hate relationship with sex. In Europe I imagine things would be different. But in America and Canada, I wouldn’t be surprised if this played a role. What I would like to know is if there is anything equivalent with white girls. Is there a phenomenon of mediocre looking white girls that wont do nudity? I dont think so. Hell the internet is full of trailer park trash white chicks doing some outragous stuff. So I think I’m close to the truth.
If true, this would be the height of hypocrisy once again. I mean, the only thing that isn’t slutty about how these girls present themsleves is that they won’t do nudity or hardcore. Do you really think a conservative Asian family would accept what they’re doing anyway? Given the bizarre and contradictory attitude many Americans seem to have toward sex, I guess it’s possible.
these models or website girls are a dime a dozen it seems. they’re generally hot but their content leaves a lot to be desired.
Nudty isn’t needed its just that the common theme with these models seem to be ‘teasing’ or almost implied nudity, undressed bits with something else covering it. Usually when someone gets there they are willing to go further or it has been the standard that behind the paid doors are the nude pics.
I’m totally fine with the artistic bikini shots to tell you the truth.
In my experience most import models are strippers <snip> But it is a good way to market their stripper appearances which is where they make their living. How much is a lap dance these days anyway?
Sorry but that is just BS and I’m surprised that some in this thread have accepted it so blindly. You must be confusing stripping with go-go dancing. The two are nothing alike.
For those unfamiliar with the term, go-go dancers are girls that get up on podiums in a dance club and dance. They don’t strip – they just dance and add energy to the club. They get paid by the club owners and do not receive tips or even interact with the other people on the dance floor. Most import models are go-go dancers.
Could you point out an import model that does not do nudity on her site but promotes her stripping appearances?
Quite frankly, I’m so mystified as to how these girls make money that I’m open to just about any suggestion!
However, using their web site as a ‘business card’ doesn’t make sense if they’re just go-go dancers. It’s not as if a nightclub will advertise “come to our nightclub, where Ms. Annla from msannla.com is a go-go dancer!” So I suspect there’s more going on here than just that.
For ya’ll in the US of A: Next time “Hot Import Nights” is in your home town, look on Craig’s List and you will find how some of these ladies supplement their income. You might take the opportunity to have an intimate conversation with them.
zama, you’re full of crap. (sorry kaine, I’m a little new and a little late on this one) While I know that a lot of these girls are go-go dancers and promote themselves thusly on their websites, I don’t know any who don’t pose nude and are strippers.
Carla-Maria, Francine Dee, Sasha Singleton, they were all exotic dancers at one point in their careers (I don’t know anymore, I’m out of the scene) and they all do nudity. Leah Dizon isn’t a stripper and if you’d like to prove to me otherwise, I’d be more than delighted to admit to you that I’m wrong after finding out for myself. (why lie? I’d get a lapdance from the girl)
For the most part, the higher end of these girls get paid by manufactuers to stay in the booths at shows of some sort, thereby attracting more attention to their booths, much like the race queens in japan. Sex sells after all. The lower end, the ones who don’t have names or the ones who are trying to get in are more than likely your more unattractive ones.
They ARE a dime a dozen but think about it. Most asian women are on the shorter side, waifish, to some degree but they hold the same dreams that taller, blonder caucasian women hold as well. There was just no market for them until import modelling came along. Where else would someone like Tila become a model? She barely reaches 5′ tall (if that). She was (from what I’ve heard) rather flat before the implants, I mean, all things said, she didn’t have what model scouts would be looking for. Even for print ads. It’s provided a niche for women of her stature to get a foothold doing something they’ve always wanted to do and make a decent living off it.
And a board of a bunch of Asiaphiles who go around making comments like “so-and-so isn’t Asian looking enough for my tastes,” should have the right to shoot down someone’s dreams when they obviously fill a niche market?
Of course, this whole post should come with the disclaimer, “you are NOT a model of any type, import or otherwise, unless you collect payment for posing for pictures.”
amen redlaw ; )
Iβm not fatigued with Import models. Maybe you guys are looking are at the wrong chicks. And I donβt mind that have aspirations of becoming a model because they have a snowballβs chance in hell of becoming a mainstream model. Unless you see a model that has someone flying them to shows from coast to coast, then they are not making enough money. Either they will be working full time at another job or they are going to school. The modeling is secondary because the vast majority are not going to make enough full-time.
Many of these girls also do go-go dancing to get people to come to a particular nightclub; usually itβs an afterparty that takes place after a car show. This is totally different from stripping. The idea that an Import model will take her clothes off at some club but not do nude photography is ridiculous.
Being family-orientated may stop a chick from doing porn, but not from standing infront of a car wearing next to nothing. Regardless, the family will find out what they are doing.
I attribute the growth of Import models to Import racing receiving more exposure and becoming more popular, with more chicks using MySpace to promote themselves, and because more guys want to see skinny Asian chicks with big breasts/SoCal look. The girls who stay natural come and go because most guys donβt care about natual Asian beauty on the Import scene. The ones who want to model full-time change their look and opt for implants and get more attention because it is all about the money.
I thought Ms. Annla looked okay. She just needs better makeup and a better photographer. Alice Yuan I wasnβt too impressed with. But sheβll appeal to the Yellow Fever crowd, just like Ms. Annla and others who havenβt made it big. Iβll just stick to the girls who I find more appealing.
I do have my criticisms about the Import scene, but the Import scene is mainly about the money. It’s not by accident that so many models look a certain way or opt for surgery. They need to appeal to a wide audience to make that money and not to someone like me.
Dr. Lee, I think that guys who cruise myspace and find Ms. Annla just might go see her go-go dance when they would not have done so otherwise. It’s not huge, but it’s a bit of advertising and makes her more valuable as a dancer.
For my money, Joyce Lex is the epitome of “import model.” She started out doing photos for SoCal Rider Babes (maybe sooner, but that’s where I first saw her), then did shoots for Island Eyes and Pacific Beauty, IIRC. Lately she’s done “implied” shoots for 24MainStreet and FinestModels. She’s a paid booth model for Falken Tires, she was recently hired by McDonald’s for their “Are You Mac Enough” promo and now she’s promoting her own line of clothing. Although she’s frequently nude in photos, she rarely (and only by accident, I think) shows her naughty bits, and if she’s making good money elsewhere, I think she’ll keep it that way. (To my eternal disappointment, of course.)
If you want to see some wishful thinking (read: delusion) about modeling, give OneModelPlace.com a browse. Anybody can post a couple of those photo booth pix (the purplish, soft-focus ones popular with the Asian girls) and claim to be a model.
cg (aka The Pedant)
I usually just enjoy watching the pictures you guys post here. I also sometimes read the comments but I quickly discontinue reading since I find many comments with implicit racist undertones or just downright disrespectful of women in general.
My two cents’ worth: women should be admired (and occasionally understood). It’s not our place to judge them or ridicule them for their inscrutable ways.
Some of you people need to get a life! Less dissin’ and more kissin!
Sashimi Boy:
Yes you are right. Women should be admired. BUT women that put themselves OUT THERE in public, they should also accept criticism and compliments.
Sooo…. this time we are criticizing the women that think they are hot S**T when they are actually quite nasty. But then again, some guys that have Asian Fever, don’t know any difference.
First off, I would like to say to shockr that I enjoy your briskness, and I agree with you on everything you have said in this topic.
Come on, some of them are attractive, but most of them are way overtanned and do not have pleasent bodies to begin with. I seriously think that a lot of these girls ought to rethink what they are doing because it is a disgrace.
Dr. Lee, to answer your question about how most of these girls make a living, I think I can answer. I have personally met and talked with a large number of the import models that have been featured on this site, and many, many more who haven’t. (Several years of attending HIN & HID in California in case you were wondering.)
Very few of these girls make a living at modeling of any sort, regardless of what categories one may use (import model, glamour nude model, etc.). A large number of them are actually full-time college students. They work the import scene and do the go-go dancing in their free-time, to have fun, earn a little cash, and let’s be honest, to enjoy the attention they get.
The ones that aren’t in college still have other jobs in which they make a living. Again the import stuff is supplemental. There is a very small core that actually make a full-time living doing what they do, and their shelf-life isn’t very long.
@Shockr
All women think they’re hot shit. And in front of your girl friend you better say she is or there’s going to be hell to pay.
My Koreana girl friend (I’m a Filipino economist working on some projects in Korea) spends too much time in salons and spas -its like going to church for them. Ditto for my Chinay (Chinese Filipina) ex. And when they come out of said spas, you had better have a kind word or two, even if there’s hardly any difference (because if you don’t they’ll just go back inside and you’ll be even more bankrupt than before!)!
As I said, inscrutable! Who knows what lurks in the minds of would-be models? I’ve given up trying to understand them. But good luck to you folks. Maybe you’ll find a rosetta stone for female behavior.
Magandang araw po! Aniong haseyo!
sashimi boy:
Never had a problem with talking shit to my women. They always come back… I’m married now and I still talk shit to the wife… no problems there. She does her facial stuff every week and she knows I don’t care about it nor see a difference.
and girlfriends? They do saunas and facials all the time too, and I give them shit for it… still no problems.
It all depends on how you draw the line when you first date/meet them.
If they aren’t attractive, I wouldn’t be talking to them. If they were attractive? I would tell them they need some sort of facial reconstruction… they laugh and they learn I’m the shit talker… π
I think there’s a big difference between the attention almost all women demand from their men, and thinking they’re hot enough to be a model.
Oh yes, thanks for the ‘inside info’ Clint!
@shockr
I guess you’re right about that. It’s a matter of culture I guess. Men in my country (and Korea as well) are great womanizers -especially after they get married. But somehow we can’t bring ourselves to “talk shit” to them.
@Dr. Lee
I see your point. I’m out of topic! My last post in this here thread: I think my original intent was to suggest that criticizing already “blind and deaf” people is an unproductive exercise unless said activity yields some net benefits to all concerned.
sashimi boy:
haha! I love the analogy that you used with the “blind and deaf”. π
hmm tsk tsk…
One thing I can assure you of Stacey – nobody is talking about you here! You are a true professional model – natural, genuinely Asian looking and slim. And you are obviously a real model, in as much as you have a lot of professional work outside the import industry.
BTW, for those who don’t know, I did an article on Stacey (HiNRGgrl) here. If all imort models were like Stace, there wouldn’t be any need for a thread like this one! π
Seems Stacey wants to say something. π
Thanks for the article Doc.
How did I miss that article? I love Stacey.
i have a question why some import models who did nudity are moving to non nudity and vice versa…im talking about Becky Vu….and Flo Jalin
thanks
Jimmerz
There’s models like Flo Jalin who went from no nudity to showing a nip here and there and then to doing nudes. My answer is to make money. Plus you can only go but so far as an Import model.
The models that I see who start doing nudes and then transition into non nudity are doing this because they are doing other things with their career such as acting and want to be taken seriously.
Assuming that many girls now are diving into the import model scene because they realize the increasing amount of exposure (and perhaps over-exposure in recent years) that has accompanied its rise, would it be plausible to suggest that most of these girls would use it as a springboard to other projects .ex, professional modeling, acting, adult entertainment..etc? I’m just wondering, because I seem to agree with alot of people on here that we are really being saturated with one type of look. Perhaps alot of girls see it as more of an opportunity, and hence the high volume and relative similarity in their approach.
Dang! This post is pretty brutal .. I’m going to keep this post short because I’m not sure what the scene is like now but back in the days, it really wasn’t hard to make money with a non nude site. Members wanted updates. They weren’t very demanding.
See, we will not run out of topics if we talk about women.
well, i only read the first part of the commentary, but I can say that 99% of you don’t know shit about the import model or car scene. The thing about sites like this is that although we all have our own opinions, I guarantee you not one person here gives even the slightest care to what anyone else likes or finds attractive. I’ll use Dr.Lee because we’ve had ongoing conversations and it won’t be personal. He definitely wouldn’t find any women I think are beautiful attractive, and I doubt I would find any he likes attractive, and neither one of us really cares in the slightest what the other thinks.
The closest thing to an accurate answer was Clints. However, they do get paid by the magazines that hire them to model and there are a few, id say about 5-8 car enthusiast mags that I know of. The more popular models have their own sites, which they make some money on but truthfully probably don’t have long subscriptions. That’s not really different from any of the overseas models, I’ve bought monthly for a number and stopped after the first month. Most of them also sell paraphenalia at the car shows, of which there are many across the country. HIN has dozens of shows per year, they also tend to dance in nightclubs as gogo dancers. Many of them also get paid by the sponsors just like the booth babes at conventions. I would guess most of them aren’t getting rich but then they get in free to the hottest clubs, best parties and live the lifestyle which you may not like but which is pretty popular here in the States (at least in the larger cities).
I know of only a few imports that strip (Francine Dee) is about the only one that I can think of. The rest dance as gogo dancers in clubs in LA and Vegas.
Thanks Indepedent for already posting what I was getting to. Shockr, don’t be an idiot, nothing makes your likes more important than any of the other hundreds of guys here, in fact a lot of us probably think the girls you like are hags. Asian Fever is a myth and the fact that you talk shit to your wife etc just goes to your character (or lack thereof).
I get that some of you dislike the import models but noone makes you post them, or look at their pictures. YOU DON’T HAVE TO look at the submissions. I mean seriously, when I see a post of someone I don’t think is attractive I just wait until the next one I do. If you want this to be Jpeg Sirens, then call it that and let it go.
Well Celeste considering you are one of my favorite import models I hope you made a fortune.
slackerking: I allowed stronger than usual language in this thread for the specific purpose of giving people an outlet to vent on this issue (so they don’t do it in the models’ own threads). However, that doesn’t mean personal attacks on other contributors is allowed – Shokr is just expressing his opinion in a thread specifically designed for it. Also, Asian Fever is hardly a myth.
I would also like to say that Celeste definitely isn’t one of the girls this thread was referring to. π
Agree, I apologize as idiot was uncalled for and over the line, however I stand by everything else I wrote.:)
+1 slacker. kudos for providing a balanced opinion on this site. It’s tiring to hear the same rant over and over and having said rant convince us that that’s the accepted opinion.
Awww Thanks Travis, I didn’t make a fortune but for my age, it seemed like a lot. I mean, back then, I didn’t really have a lot to pay for haha
Thanks Dr. Lee =) that’s good to know!
Cheers everyone.
I agree Dr. Lee. Not only that, but if you’ve seen any videos of these girls on youtube you’ll see that most of them have the personality of a cardboard box. Especially KT-SO and Misa Campo.
And what’s worse is that these chicks use their bodies to make money, yet they never show anything. I too am amazed that these gals can make a living being nothing but a a bunch of c*ck teases. Who wants to pay someone to sexually frustrated them?? I can go to a full-nude bar and give myself blue balls…but at least I get to see nude women and it only costs as much as the 2 drink minimum. Not the ridiculous prices that these mannequins charge on their sites.