She is known in London as Hazel Moe, but Burmese magazine readers will immediately recognize her as Honey Oo, the young model who has recently caused a storm by posing for a photo shoot dressed only in a bikini, drawing ire and criticism from many quarters in Burma with many saying that such photographs are indecent and not conducive to a Burmese sense of culture and modesty.
Honey Oo started out as a child model for the Talent & Model agency in Rangoon and took part in more than 20 fashion shows and photo shoots. She moved to the UK when she was 16 and was spotted by a modeling agency. Now aged 18, she is currently studying business accounting in London, but has been making a living as a model.
Honey Oo spoke to The Irrawaddy's Nayee Lin Latt about the recent furore over her swimwear pics, the modeling industry in Burma and abroad, and why she thinks the Burmese public will finally come to open their eyes and ears to the outside world.
Question: How did your first photo shoot in London come about?
Answer: I was only 16. A Burmese friend of mine who was studying for his masters degree in photography asked me to pose as a model for his project. I had some experience in modeling back in Burma and so I agreed to do it.
Q: Do you think acting and modeling is something that came naturally to you?
A: I think that because I had been in front of the camera from a young age, posing came automatically. I used to do photo shoots as an amateur and was always happy in front of a camera. After I posed for my friend's project, I started working for another Burmese photographer who was with a modeling Web site. He suggested that I post my photos on some free Web sites in order to build contacts. Which I did. Later, through the Web sites, I got contacted by photographers, beauticians and modeling agencies.
Q: How did you feel about modeling in a bikini? Were you nervous?
A: It was the very beginning of summer and even though it was a sunny day it was so cold, maybe about 7 or 8 degrees Centigrade. It took two or three hours by car to get to the beach. Although it was cold, I had promised I would work with them and so I did my best. I had to act as if it was warm even though it was not.
Q: Among all your photos, the beach shots are some of the best. Did you prepare or practice before the photo shoot?
A: I studied many modeling catalogs, photographs and magazines, and I practiced in front of the mirror. I am always thinking how will I pose before I stand in front of the camera. Sometimes, if a model and a photographer have no connection, you won’t get good photos. When the photographer told me I would be doing a shoot in which I was wearing a bikini and lying on the sand, I thought, “If I smile, this won't be a good photo.” So I just simply gazed at the camera. It was, in the end, a good photo shoot.
Q: In a conservative country like Burma, if models in bikinis are allowed to be photographed, what kind of response would you expect from the Burmese public?
A: I think if a Burmese actress wore a bikini, she would be severely criticized. But, at the same time, the majority of Burmese want to see their country develop. Look at Thailand, Korea and China—long ago they wore only traditional dress. Now that those countries are developed, I don’t think most women still wear traditional costumes.
But you cannot stop the current. People are gradually changing with the times. I don’t think that people in developed countries still wear traditional dress on a day-to-day basis.
In Western countries, it costs a lot just to do a photo shoot. In Burma, we are not able to spend such an amount just to get one good photo. Another thing is that in the UK, there are various kinds of models. I do not work like a Playboy model. In Burma, the majority of people are forced to close their eyes and ears. Some may think that wearing a bikini and posing for photos is inappropriate. Some people have sent me e-mails and criticized me a lot.
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