Jessica Gomes was a mainstay in the SI Swimsuit Issue for eight consecutive years, from 2008 through ’15. While all of her shoots were memorable, the 2012 feature with Walter Iooss Jr. holds a special place in her heart. It took place in the part of the world where she was raised, Australia.
The model opened up about what it was like growing up in Perth, Australia, where only 3% of the population is Asian. Gomes’s mother is from Hong Kong and grew up in Singapore and her father is from Portugal. They immigrated to Australia in the ’70s.
“It was hard in Australia because I didn’t really have any Asian role models,” Gomes said in 2014. “Maybe Pocahontas because I felt like she looked like me.”
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Her mom put her in grooming and deportment courses when she was a child and she booked her first paid modeling gig at just 12 years old. Gomes was scouted by IMG and moved to New York City when she was 18.
“I’m proud of my heritage now,” she added. “I’m proud that my mother is Chinese. Growing up, I was kind of shy about it and I didn’t feel accepted because I was Asian. I was teased at school and racially discriminated against and I just feel like I’m proud of who I am now and of my ethnicity. I never thought that I would grow up feeling this way. I feel like you just have to embrace your unique qualities and your differences and they will prevail.”
Here are seven of our favorite Jessica Gomes photos from her 2012 shoot in Sydney and Cairns, Australia.
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