Swimsuit

8 Breathtaking SI Swimsuit Photos of Muay Thai Fighter Mia Kang

The body positive advocate was photographed for SI Swimsuit in 2016 and ’17.

Mara Milam

Mia Kang Uncovered 2017

Mia Kang is a model, Muay Thai fighter, and body positive advocate who made her SI Swimsuit debut in 2016 as a model search winner. She returned to the issue as a rookie in 2017. 

The martial artist uses her platform to talk openly about her struggle with an eating disorder and her journey to self-love. In 2020, she authored a book, Knockout, that is described as “an intimate and unflinching memoir exploring [her] journey from self-loathing to self-love.”

Muay Thai was a huge part of the journey to self-acceptance for Kang. “I connected to the philosophical part of martial arts more so than the physical,” she told InStyle. “’Cause, yeah, it’s a great workout. But there was something else in it for me.” 

The practice helped Kang find the confidence to feel comfortable in her body. “The most badass thing I’ve ever done wasn't beating someone up [in a professional fight],” she said. “It was telling everybody who told me what I was supposed to look like that I'm not going to look like that anymore.”

Take a look back at some of our favorite photos of Kang photographed by Ruven Afanador in Mexico.

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Mara Milam

MARA MILAM

Mara Milam is the managing digital producer at SI Swimsuit. The California based video and digital content producer joined the “swim team” in March of 2020, just as the pandemic was settling in. Mara is a lover of all things travel and wellness and is passionate about elevating the voices and stories of people often not heard.