'SupermodelMe Sirens' judge Ase Wang on the 'meaning' of it all

The 'mean' judge on SupermodelMe shares why she does not hold back criticisms.

Ase Wang was shooting a TV show one day when she heard one of the most painful things people have said about her. The Singaporean model, who is also an actress based in Thailand, explained: “When I’m on set, I struggle more than a normal Thai actor because I can’t read Thai and I have to sit with a language coach.

“I was filming a sitcom, and struggling with the pronunciation of a particular word. My co-star, this actor, was purposely making jokes on set (about my pronunciation) because he thought it was funny, but that really hurt my feelings.”

Wang – sporting a shimmery bronze dress and a sleek, pulled-back hairdo – was in town to promote the reality modelling series SupermodelMe: Sirens alongside the show’s judges Lisa S. and Dominic Lau. SupermodelMe: Sirens premieres tonight at 8pm on Diva (Astro Ch 702).

Looking back at the unpleasant experience, the 32-year-old Wang said: “You have to tune that stuff out and learn to grow a really thick skin.”

Well aware of the harsh realities of the modelling world, she has built a reputation as the judge who dispenses no-holds-barred criticisms to model hopefuls on SupermodelMe, which is now in its fifth season.

“I’m not going to sugarcoat it and say this industry is fabulous. Yes, it’s fabulous, but there’s a lot of rubbish, too. I want to do my part, do them some justice and give it to them straight. And we balance each other out – Lisa is the mother hen of the show and Dominic is the charmer who will give it to you straight but in a more sugarcoated way,” she said of her unbridled approach.

“Some people might say I’m too harsh or too rude, but if I don’t tell you now, you’re going to be sitting there, having a dream that’s not going to come true.”

Wang’s own foray into modelling began when the fair-skinned beauty of Chinese and Swedish descent caught the eye of renowned Singaporean photographer Russel Wong.

(Wong has photographed top fashion models Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer and Naomi Campbell, plus celebrities Bruce Willis, Michael Jackson and Jackie Chan.)

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do after high school so I took a year off. Russel and I lived on the same street in Singapore. Since I wasn’t doing anything, he spoke to my parents, took some photos of me and sent them out,” she shared.

Before she knew it, the fresh-faced Wang landed an acting gig on the MediaCorp teen drama, Spin, plus a modelling contract with Singaporean agency Mannequin.

Wang, who has now accumulated over a decade’s worth of modelling experience, also knows a thing or two about overcoming the challenges that come with being a petite model.

“When I first started in the industry, photographers would call me ‘midge’ – for midget – and that slowly became my nickname and we would laugh about it. It depends on how good you feel about yourself. It’s a matter of not letting yourself get affected by it,” said the 1.61m-tall model-actress.

Wang added that many aspiring models need a dose of reality and sees SupermodelMe as a platform to mentor them.

“I’m not tall, so I did a lot of hair and skincare commercials and made my money that way. It’s about being realistic. Don’t look beyond that and be like, ‘I really want to book a fashion show.’ I will be waiting my entire life because that’s not going to happen,” she said.

The new season of SupermodelMe was filmed in Malaysia for the first time, with locations ranging from Starhill Gallery and The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur, to Pangkor Laut Resort.

Viewers can look forward to seeing tasks that are more extreme due to a greater emphasis on improving the contestants’ health and fitness level. In fact, in an upcoming episode, the models will take part in an ostrich-racing challenge.

In the past, reality modelling series at large have been criticised for putting contestants through outrageous photoshoots that do not reflect the actual modelling world.

But Wang reasoned: “Think about it. Do you want to put girls on a show for six weeks and constantly have them go through modelling bootcamp and not allow them to have fun and do something outside of modelling? That’s just being mean.

“You want to be able to throw some challenges where they can have fun. These are things that keep them happy.”

Unconventional photoshoots aside, she also teasingly mentioned that the new season will feature a more in-depth look on the judges’ lives and the chemistry they share.