Patricia Mok Says She Never Thought She Was Pretty During Her Showbiz Debut, And Feels She Lacks A “Camera Face” Because Of Her “Big Mouth”
The actress is nothing if not candid and open when it comes to speaking about her looks.
Actress and comedian Patricia Mok, 54, has always been open about her looks, even saying in an interview that she related to her iconic role as Mo Lingling in the 2003 drama Holland V for the fact that the character wasn’t seen as conventionally attractive.
In an episode of the Sis Night Talk podcast hosted by content creator Charlene Huang and TikTok’s ‘Hokkien girl’ Ong Yiting, Patricia candidly shared how she saw herself when she first entered showbiz, and let’s just say she is her own harshest critic.
The actress-host, now managed by Irene Ang’s FLY Entertainment, was greeted with the topic of “whether it’s easier for pretty girls to be successful”.
An Instagram poll by the podcast showed most listeners believe looks and success are linked, a view Patricia Mok agreed with.
“Looks are most important in frontline roles like reception or sales,” Patricia explained. “If you look better, people feel more comfortable, are less likely to raise their voice at you, and are more likely to buy what you’re selling.”
She also gave her thoughts on how looks play a role in showbiz, adding that while the industry is full of good-looking people, the real challenge is standing out.
Her take? Being pretty isn’t enough if you can’t act or sing.
She continued: “If you ask me, I don’t think I was pretty when I made my debut. I was not pretty at all. After watching myself on TV, I thought, ‘This woman is really ugly — so skinny, and her mouth is so big.’ I also had very bad dark circles because as a newbie, I didn’t know I needed professional makeup and did it myself at home.”
Patricia shared that before her first on-screen appearance in Comedy Nite, she never considered herself beautiful. When friends complimented her, she would reply, “You don’t insult me hor,” because she genuinely thought they were being sarcastic when calling her pretty.
When Yiting pointed out that Patricia is skinny, tall, and has features like big eyes, a sharp nose, and a defined face that fit today’s beauty standards and said she’s never found her “not pretty”, Patricia reacted in disbelief and quipped: “Looks like there’s something wrong with your eyes.”
“Actually, I don’t have a camera face. I’m not photogenic. I look okay in photos, but not [in videos] because I have a big mouth. When I speak, people focus on my mouth moving," she added.
“Especially when I first debuted, I even used very bright red lipstick, and the moment I started speaking, everyone would look at my mouth.”
Yiting then commented that Patricia might have been “born in the wrong generation” since many influencers today intentionally get lip fillers to achieve fuller lips.
Patricia recalled a trip to Bangkok for a medical procedure where she was asked if she wanted lip fillers.
At that moment, she turned to her friend and said: “My lips are already very thick, I already try not to put lipstick, she still ask me want to do?”
She explained that she has no issue with lip fillers in general: “If your lips are very flat, then you’re suited for it, especially if you have a big face and thin lips. So for those with very thin lips, if they do fillers, it’s completely okay.”
“But if you’re already very pretty with thick lips, it’ll just look like two sausages,” she opined.
Photos: Double Up [欢迎光玲]/ YouTube, patdevogue/ Instagram, dorothysingapore/TikTok
You can catch the full podcast below.
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