4 Things You Didn't Know About Social Media Superstar Yoyo Cao

Isn’t it a pity that the heartbreakingly pretty Yoyo isn’t a movie star? But it seems she is hell-bent on staying away from the reel-life. Turns out, Huayi Brothers, one of China’s biggest movie companies (they also rep many A-list Chinese stars like Zhao Wei, Angelababy, Zhou Xun, Chen Kun) have asked her to be an actress… and she turned them down. “Yeah, they approached me a few years ago,” says Yoyo. “They wanted me to continue doing my fashion thing and at the same time to act in shows. And I was like, “Oh, I cant” (laughs). I just know I’m not born to be an actress and do movies and stuff. I know I’d do better in fashion.” So how they take to her response? They were quite shocked that I didn’t take up the job. But I guess everyone has things they want to do. And acting was never something I considered."

The self-confessed shopaholic (“I once bought 12 pairs of shoes in Paris in one day — that’s my record,” she laughs) says she clears out her wardrobe every season. “I give the clothes to my friends or I donate it. You can ask her (points to the stylist), she took home a big bag of clothes last season,” she says. “I don’t really [have attachment to my clothes]. It’s just clothes. If you’re not going to wear it anymore, it shouldn’t be kept in your wardrobe.” Though what we really wanted to know is her wardrobe situation at home. “I have a room for my clothes and I have a wardrobe in my room that has my clothes too. And then I also have clothes in my mum’s room. So every time she comes to Singapore, she’ll go, “Why are there more clothes in my wardrobe? Where do I put my own clothes?” (Laughs).”

In case you didn’t know, Yoyo is not Singaporean. She moved here from Macau when she was 13, where she lived with a guardian until she was 18. She’s been living on her own since. She tells us that her parents, who she says “runs a business” (she declines to divulge more) still live in Macau, had sent her here to further her studies. “I was given a choice between Singapore, Canada and Australia, and I picked Singapore ’cos at that time I liked sun-tanning,” she laughs, adding that even though she was the only child, she “wasn’t pampered” and that her folks were “strict”. “If I got less than 90 marks for my exams in primary school, I would go home with my legs trembling,” she laughs.

To get her picture perfect Instagram photos, Yoyo drives around Singapore scouting for the best locations. “When I see a good location, I will store it in my memory and when I have an outfit that matches that background, I’ll use it,” she says. “I think I know more Singapore locations then Singaporeans themselves (laughs).” So where would she do a shoot in, let’s say, Jurong? “I would go to Tuas where the sand dunes are. I was looking a place to shoot Exhibit’s campaign photos and I saw someone post a pic of a sand dune. I had to drive up and down Tuas looking for it.” And what about the much-maligned Yishun? “I’ve never shot there before but I don’t think it has any nice location (laughs). And it always seems to be raining there so it’s very hard for me to take photos.”