Cover Jung Ho-Yeon is the top model-turned-actor of 2021 (Photo: Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Netflix)
Jung Ho-Yeon is the top model-turned-actor of 2021 (Photo: Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Netflix)
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The Squid Game star stole the hearts of the public and fashion industry with her captivating performance
The Models.com Industry Awards celebrates the top models of the year, and it’s the collective votes of 400 industry professionals that include photographers, editors, stylists and more, as well as public voters, that decides who of the shortlisted models will take home those accolades.
Categories are given for best Women, Men and Breakout models, but there’s also a prize for Model Turned Actor. Despite being up against Hunter Schafer and Indya Moore, it’s no surprise that this year, Korean star Hoyeon Jung swept up both awards for Industry and Reader’s choice.
Jung has been modelling in Korea since 2012, and joined the New York scene in 2018, but it was her appearance on Netflix’s most watched series, Squid Game, that has catapulted her career well beyond modelling and into the film industry, gaining her international recognition.
See more: 5 Things to Know About Jung Ho-Yeon From ‘Squid Game’
Her performance as Kang Sae-byeok was equal parts terrifying and tear-jerking, as audiences developed sympathy for this serious North Korean defector caught between a rock and a hard place.
Asian models have had a major moment this year, and 15 made it on the shortlist, including He Cong, Mao Xiaoxing and Sora Choi, the last of whom was the runner up for Reader’s choice in the Women category.
The complete list of winners and runners up are as follows:
Women+
Industry – Kristen McNemany
Reader – Stenberg
Men+
Industry – Alton Mason
Reader – Fernando Lindez
Breakout Star: Women+
Industry – Quannah Chasinghorse
Reader – Quannah Chasinghorse
Breakout Star: Men+
Industry – Kai Isaiah Jamal
Reader – Haatepah
Social Mover of the Year
Industry – Adwoa Aboah
Social – Bella Hadid
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Amalissa Hall was the style writer at Tatler Hong Kong. Primarily focused on writing digital articles, she covers news, tracks trends and interviews experts from the fashion, beauty and wellness industries, as well as entertainment spheres. Interview highlights include Formula One driver Alex Albon, award-winning costume designer Jany Temime and prolific make-up artist Lisa Eldridge.
She has also produced print stories featuring make-up artists, perfumiers and other upcoming figures discussing Asian representation on social media, sharing industry insight and trends as well as explaining new approaches to wellness in Hong Kong.
