How a stint on Asia’s Next Top Model changed Patricia Gouw's life
In the What Matters To Me series, a Generation T honouree describes what they do, why they do it, and why it matters.
Generation T honouree Patricia Gouw has a lot to boast about. But the Indonesian model and TV host says she initially lacked the confidence that she could succeed in her career.
In fact, it was only after being cajoled by her friends that she eventually applied for Asia's Next Top Model. Gouw won first runner-up on the show's fourth season, and hasn't looked back since. Here, Gouw talks about her work in her own words.
See also: What Matters To Me: Yogananth Andiappan
My modelling career began when I was 16, when my friend urged me to join a modelling competition at a nearby school. After that I joined several more competitions and pageants, including Miss Indonesia and Miss Asean.
After the first season of Asia’s Next Top Model, my friends insisted that I should try it out, particularly one colleague at the insurance company I was working at. I actually made audition tapes to apply, but I never sent them: I didn’t have enough self-confidence or self-esteem. I only ended up auditioning just so that my friends would stop pestering me about it. Shockingly, I got chosen as one of Indonesia’s representatives, and the next thing I knew, I was sent to Singapore.