00:00I couldn't remember a time when I looked in the mirror and actually liked what I saw.
00:06I was living in New York City and excelling as a signed working model,
00:09but inside, I was incredibly unhappy.
00:13After being asked to fast for 10 days for a shoot,
00:16I'd had enough and asked for a vacation.
00:19I went to Thailand, and after passing a local Muay Thai gym,
00:23I asked if I could give it a try.
00:24I immediately became obsessed.
00:26I stayed for 9 months and learned not only physical, but mental strength.
00:31Before I started boxing, I had no respect for my body.
00:36I thought that it had to look a certain way
00:39because everybody told me that it had to look a certain way.
00:42Now that I've started boxing, I have the utmost respect for my body.
00:47I completely let go of any standards held above me by the modeling world
00:52and gave my body to this sport.
00:54I eventually came back to New York City with this newfound strength
00:58and demanded to my clients and agents that this new mindset and body
01:02was just as beautiful, if not more beautiful,
01:06because the woman that returned now had something to say.
01:11I'm not the typical fighter, and often, I'm not taken seriously.
01:16I first considered myself a professional athlete
01:19when I realized I was training on the same level as a professional athlete.
01:23For me, there is no typical training day.
01:26No two days of training are the same.
01:27I try to mix it up every day.
01:29The amount of time I have, I give,
01:33whether it be 20 minutes or 4 hours.
01:36Fighting in martial arts is a male-dominated sport.
01:39In order to be treated equally, I had to earn it.
01:42I had to show people that I could not only do what the men do,
01:46but I could do what they do and succeed at it.
01:49Being a body advocate is a responsibility and a duty that I have
01:55as being a part of this industry and representing women.
01:59Being a body advocate means that I fight for diversity and representation.
02:07My name is Mia Kang.
02:10I'm a fighter and a model.
02:12I'm fearless every time I step into a fight,
02:15and I urge women to step outside of their comfort zones.
02:19That's where the best stuff lives.
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