In 2012, Taiwanese model Heidi Yeh was a successful working model, booking regular jobs with name brands.
Then she signed on to do an ad for a Taiwanese cosmetic clinic, and that's when her personal and professional nightmare started.
The ad features Yeh in a family portrait setting with a man and three children. Yeh and the man look noticeably different from the children, who Yeh says were retouched to look the way they do in the ad. The tagline reads: "The only thing you'll ever have to worry about is how to explain it to the kids."
According to Yeh, her contract stipulated that the ad be featured only in newspapers and magazines, and just by that clinic. But it ended up online after being posted by a different clinic, Simple Beauty.
Soon after that, accounts surfaced online of a man who had divorced his wife and then sued her because he had discovered that she had lied about having cosmetic surgery. She had also given birth to "an ugly baby daughter." The report was accompanied by the photo from the ad featuring Yeh.
"I thought it was just rumors, then I realized the whole world was spreading this story and in different languages," Yeh told BBC News. "People actually believed it and thought this had happened to me. Even my relatives and fiancé's family have asked me about it."
She stopped booking as many jobs, she said, and companies wouldn't believe her when she said she hadn't had plastic surgery herself. Yeh has gone public in Taiwan, and is now suing the clinic Simple Beauty and the modeling agency for approximately $150,000 in damages, according to Shanghaiist. The clinic and the modeling agency are in turn threatening to sue Yeh for damaging their images, according to BBC News.
Stay In The Know
Marie Claire email subscribers get intel on fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more. Sign up here.
"I keep thinking, 'Why is this happening to me?'" Yeh said. "I decided to speak out because I wanted to give myself some courage to deal with this problem."
Follow Marie Claire on Instagram for the latest celeb news, pretty pics, funny stuff, and an insider POV.
Helin Jung is a writer and editor based in Los Angeles. She was formerly the executive lifestyle editor of Cosmopolitan.com.
-
Olivia Rodrigo Is Bringing Visible Bra Straps Back
The pop-punk princess wore custom Victoria's Secret at Coachella.
By Julia Gray Published
-
Meghan Markle’s New Netflix Cookery Show Begins Filming Today—But Not Where You’d Expect It to Be Shot
The Sussexes are having a busy week this week, shooting both of their his-and-her Netflix shows and rolling out the first product offering for Meghan’s new lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
How I'm Redefining My Wellness Journey in 2024
Sponsor Content Created With The Honey Pot
By Aniyah Morinia Published
-
The Best Bollywood Movies of 2023 (So Far)
Including one that just might fill the Riverdale-shaped hole in your heart.
By Andrea Park Published
-
‘Bachelor in Paradise’ 2023: Everything We Know
Cue up Mike Reno and Ann Wilson’s “Almost Paradise."
By Andrea Park Last updated
-
Who Is Gerry Turner, the ‘Golden Bachelor’?
The Indiana native is the first senior citizen to join Bachelor Nation.
By Andrea Park Last updated
-
‘Virgin River’ Season 6: Everything We Know
Here's everything we know on the upcoming episodes.
By Andrea Park Last updated
-
The 60 Best Musical Movies of All Time
All the dance numbers! All the show tunes!
By Amanda Mitchell Last updated
-
'Ginny & Georgia' Season 2: Everything We Know
Netflix owes us answers after that ending.
By Zoe Guy Last updated
-
35 Nude Movies With Porn-Level Nudity
Lots of steamy nudity ahead.
By Kayleigh Roberts Last updated
-
The Cast of 'The Crown' Season 5: Your Guide
The Mountbatten-Windsors have been recast—again.
By Andrea Park Published