Nancy Kwan was a fox.

I don’t know why, but I didn’t realize until today that Kwan is the girl from “The World of Suzy Wong,” and the model from Terence Donovan‘s photo of Vidal Sassoon’s famous bob. This image became, basically, the mod icon of the era. ANDDDD she’s the woman from the PEARL CREAM video. My mind just exploded.

I first encountered Suzy Wong in a “Sex Race and Representation” class years ago; it’s a film that inspires discussion about Orientalism, the exotic, the “Other.” Kwan plays the “classic” role of the hooker with a heart of gold and there are a lot of cringe worthy scenes ripe with Asian stereotypes. The film is definitely a product of its time, but also pushed some boundaries because I think she was the first famous (half) Asian actor in an American film out of America-before Asian roles were filled with white men and women playing dress up.

I’d like to find more photos and information on non-white sixties ladies. Time to do some research.