Mona Matsuoka, like many in America, was born into a blended family. The 21-year-old half-Japanese, half-American lived in Arizona until she was 10 then had a fateful introduction to a talent agency when her family moved to Japan. Since her debut at 15, Matsuoka has walked for the legendary design juggernauts whether it was Phoebe Philo’s Celine, Karl Lagerfeld’s Chanel, or Carol Lim & Humberto Leon’s Kenzo. Although she is still comparably young, Matsuoka has seen the changes the industry has undergone, for good or for bad. “I think the modeling industry has changed as it’s easier to become a model now with social media,” she explains. “I think it’s getting more diverse. It’s an amazing change of influence, but America is not near to being fully inclusive.” It’s no wonder why by Matsuoka’s line of reasoning, we should dismantle the term altogether. “’All American’ should be a state of mind, not how one looks.” We, wholeheartedly, agree.
