Ex-corporate PR Manager Turns Glamour Model, Keeps It Hiding From Parents; Know Why

A former bank employee quit her corporate job to become a glamour model – and her mum still has no clue. Dr Mercy Li has a PhD in economics and law from the University of London and was a public relations manager at Citibank in her native Singapore. But the 33-year-old decided to make a dramatic career change after being approached by a modelling agency scout while shopping at a lingerie boutique.

She was soon jetting down under for lavish shoots, eventually featuring in the December 2023 issue of FHM Australia. But in an exclusive interview with the Daily Star, she said she feared her Chinese father and French mother would disown her if they found out the truth.

She said: “Fortunately, my parents are not very familiar with technology and have not found any news about me. To this day, they do not know about my work as a glamour model.

“Given the conservative views prevalent in our Asian culture, this profession is not widespread and I worry that they might disown me if they found out. I often feel anxious when someone in public suggests that they know me from somewhere”, she added.

She also said that her parents are unaware of her authentic lifestyle. Although she wears expensive clothes, Mercy Li don’t always reflect the respectability she portrays on the outside.

“Living in Singapore, I am very aware of the various limitations and restrictions that come with my choices”, said Mercy Li.

Mercy told her parents that she left the bank to work as a freelance PR consultant – and that it was easier given her mother’s “aristocratic” views.

She believes the strict values instilled in her from a young age may have encouraged her rebellious side. When asked if she misses working at Citibank, she replied: “To be honest, I don’t miss my 9-5 job at a bank. As a glamour model, I enjoy the way men’s eyes linger on me”.

“It’s as if they’re almost undressing me with their gaze. Although I feel vulnerable under such intense gaze, I have to admit that it turns me on because there’s something exhilarating about being looked at in this way”, she added.