“When I got the call, I was so excited the team wanted to have me back! I knew it would feel different than my rookie year,” she told SI Swimsuit in 2022. “I felt more confident and less afraid going into it, which brought a new energy to my shoot. I still had those big-shoot jitters, but everyone at SI is truly family now, so all nervousness went away so fast.” She previously told Sports Illustrated Swimsuit that growing up, she never felt white enough or Asian enough, and that accepting both her Japanese and Dutch heritage, as well as her body, was a difficult but extremely rewarding journey for her. “I can only speak from being half Asian, but there’s a lot of shame in flaunting your body. Having any curve is like, crazy. I’ve always had a big butt growing up, and growing up, you don’t feel comfortable in like, clothes that make you feel sexy … there’s this shame around feeling sexy,” she said. “And so with Asian American culture, it can kind of be confusing, because we have this voice in our head saying to like, cover up and not be ’too much,’ and then American culture is like, the opposite spectrum. It’s like a tug of war in between cultures.” She acknowledges the importance of providing representation for a number of groups that have long been far too silent and invisible in mainstream media. “The more representation we have, the more people see themselves, and the more they see themselves as beautiful,” Nu said. “I want to do as much as I can to show other people that there’s like, a group of us, and that we exist and that it’s OK and that we’re beautiful and we’re confident and we love ourselves.” Get to know the supermodel Yumi Nu, including her famous pedigree!
Who are Yumi Nu’s parents?
Yumi Nu is the daughter of Brent Nu and Kana Grace Nootenboom. Nootenboom is one of the daughters of Benihana founder Hiroaki “Rocky” Aoki and received a portion of a whopping $50 million inheritance when he died in 2008. Nu’s father has been described as a “creative soul,” while Nootenboom was a marriage and family therapist. The family moved from New Jersey to Maryland to California when Yumi was young.
Is Yumi Nu related to Steve Aoki?
Nu is the niece of DJ and producer Steve Aoki. She’s also signed to her famous uncle’s Dim Mak record label. “I started singing lessons at twelve, and by the time I was fifteen, I was writing songs and contemplating becoming an artist,” Nu told Vogue. “In 2017 I put out my first feature song under my uncle’s label, but that music was very pop and EDM, which at the time was my thing, but afterward, I took a step back. I took what was supposed to be a year-long break, which turned into two years, and then the pandemic happened. Once I started to evolve and change, I realized that pop wasn’t my sound anymore.” She explained to Vogueof her musical evolution, “In comparison to my last project, my new music is definitely more mature,” Nu explains. “In my writing, I’m talking about things that are vulnerable and important to me personally: insecurities, anxiety, my relationship with my body, race, and setbacks I’ve had to overcome. Before, I was singing about guys who’d hurt me. As I’ve grown and become a woman, I’ve had to go deeper, which makes sense. The older you get, the more your priorities change.” Nu’s sister, Natalie Nootenboom, is also a model and aspiring musician. In 2017, Nootenboom told Billboardof Nu’s influence, “She definitely coached me on how to model, how to carry myself, and what to look out for. She always taught me to be confident. How you make an entrance, the impression you leave on people.” Aoki couldn’t help but gush about his nieces in Teen Vogue. “These girls have a lot of ambition and a lot of drive, and I noticed that when they were very young,” he said. “I’m just so proud of them. What these girls do is push themselves far beyond the limitations that are in front of them and conquer their previous selves.”
Is Yumi Nu related to Devon Aoki?
Nu is, of course, also model and actress Devon Aoki’s niece. She told Into the Gloss of her celebrity bloodline and the obvious privilege it awards her, “Growing up, I didn’t understand the weight of my family. [Steve] and Devon are both massive Asian influences in the music and fashion industries, and I’m so grateful for how the two of them paved the way.”
What is Yumi Nu’s nationality?
Nu is American. Her ethnicity is Japanese and Dutch. She said her Japanese heritage is a big factor in the work she chooses to do. “I didn’t see myself [in the media] when I was a kid. Not just my race, but my body type as well. There just wasn’t anyone on television or magazines who looked like me,” she told Vogue. “It felt like Asian representation was last on the list. Asian plus-size representation was unheard of back then [especially] in fashion. To represent a group of people who have never felt seen has been so healing for me and hopefully also for them.” Nu said that even within her Asian culture, she never truly felt seen. “Within Asian culture, there is this pressure to be a certain size and the generational pressure of body shaming from our grandmothers and mothers. [That is why] I’ve been telling my agents for years ‘I want to be on the cover of Japanese Vogue, I want to get into the industry in Asia and shake things up,’” she said. She added that she’s in the process of learning the Japanese language, noting that she knows she needs to “put in the effort to understand the culture I’d like to impact even though it’s my own. I’m half-white, and that comes with privileges, and I need to be conscious of that. One day though, I’d love to open a plus-size store in Tokyo.” Her dream of appearing on Japanese Vogue came true in the spring of 2022, but the experience wasn’t exactly perfect, she admitted. “It’s a body-conscious issue, and it’s just a headshot,” Nu told Teen Vogue with a chuckle. “But it’s okay, it’s a small step. I’m just happy to be there. As someone who is half-white and American, who doesn’t speak the language, if they would let me inspire body change and positivity, that was part of my dream for being on Japanese Vogue, just leaving space for people who don’t look like the beauty standard.” Nu is also vocal about anti-AAPI hate and speaking up for the AAPI community, especially in light of increased violence against AAPI people during the COVID-19 crisis. “The Asian community isn’t always a loud one. Our society’s view of Asians in the model minority myth lens has silenced us for many years,” she told PEOPLE. “In this time of anti-Asian violence, it’s so important now more than ever for Asian people to be heard and supported. The division and racism in our world has gotten so bad; we’ve grown so far from love and connection. I want to create a space for people to feel heard and safe. That’s my purpose on this earth.” She added, “I’m heavy-hearted to see the continual violence on Asian people who look like they could be my family members, but I’m also hopeful seeing how people are coming together to support. I encourage people to donate to AAPI funds and volunteer where they can, but the best thing they can do is listen. People want to be heard. Ask your Asian friends how you can show up for them.”
What is Yumi Nu’s height?
Nu is 5'11" tall. Nu recalled to Teen Vogue that her early days of plus-size modeling weren’t easy, because she was constantly told she wasn’t big enough or small enough. “It was either you’re a size 14, the sample size for plus, or you’re a size 2, or you don’t work. My career was such a slow snowball," she said. When she covered American Vogue, she couldn’t believe it—and said it had never even been a goal for her because she truly didn’t think it was possible. “Everyone’s like, was this always your dream? I’m like, I didn’t even know it could be a dream,” she admitted. “For me to be on the cover of American Vogue and not change anything about myself is a true testament of where we’re going.” Being the first Asian American plus-size model in SI Swim was, obviously, a huge deal for her.
What is Yumi Nu’s age?
Nu is 25 years old.
When is Yumi Nu’s birthday?
Nu’s birthday is Sept. 23, 1996. Next, see the most iconic Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover models then and now!
