As a teenager, I was never the princess or the pretty girl; rather, I was a book worm and the ugly duckling. Growing up shadowed by my sister’s beauty as a pageant queen (Miss Malaysia World 2002) made me believe I could never be in the limelight. Did I secretly want to? Yes! But did I believe I could at that time? Absolutely not.

My modelling career began when I was spotted by a local designer in Malaysia at age 16, from where I was trained by one of the country’s top catwalk gurus. Yet, I still carried some baby fat, had no confidence and the insecure girl in me quickly took over.

Then came the FHM ‘Girl Next Door’ competition. I never imagined I would ever be in FHM because I am not the hourglass body type that is considered sexy in general. I had long straight hair, I was awkward, and I looked out of place with smoky eye makeup. To my surprise, I actually won the competition, which was followed by my first FHM cover (also my first cover ever). But did I really want to have that overtly sexy image? I became confused and unsure, but an opportunity is an opportunity… right?

Fast forward in my modelling career: I signed with a London-based agency while I was still in law school; I walked in fashion weeks and on international runways. I felt lucky and blessed, but there was always that missing spark for me. Something clearly wasn’t working. In 2009, I came to Hong Kong for modelling where I stayed for three months; I did okay but again it wasn’t great. It felt like something was missing or perhaps I wasn’t in my groove.

Then came my second trip to Hong Kong two years later.

Right then, I had an undeniable, spur of the moment urge – I wanted and needed a change, so I cut off my hair into a short bob. I didn’t even talk to my manager about it – she wasn’t very happy when she found out. Back then, having long hair gave you the widest range of jobs to do, but with my short bob, it could mean my work would be more limited.

What happened next was a surprise and has largely spearheaded my style now. I booked a big beauty campaign with Fujifilm Beauty, followed by a campaign with GAP. I was shooting more magazine editorials than I ever had before, as well as TV commercials. People were finally taking notice of me. The short-haired bob worked! I never thought a haircut could change my career, and as a result, that insecure girl in me slowly grew in confidence. Later on, I signed with IMG London and Independent Milan, and it was both amazing and humbling to be able to work with the top people in the industry.

I haven’t looked back since. I have had short hair all this while with small changes here and there, but it has been more than a decade now. Looking back at that moment when I chopped my hair off, I had no idea that it would be such an important moment in my career – at that time it was more of an instinct.

10 years ago, the industry seemed more appreciative of girls that looked the same – beautiful in the general sense. That has changed now, with models coming from different ethnicities with different looks. It’s so refreshing to see that beauty in fashion is now more open than it has ever been. There is a quiet appreciation of androgyny and gender fluidity throughout which was never the case before. Short hair, dyed hair, or even bald – they are all loved!

But sometimes a haircut is beyond the aesthetic! It’s a refresh button, a possibility to change and grow. Mine allowed me to come out of my shell, or perhaps it was about taking control. One act, a million possibilities.

After all, it’s just hair!

Born in Penang, Malaysia, Angie Ng is signed to Hong Kong-based agency Model One, as well as directing her boundless energy into teaching boxing and spinning in her spare time. Follow her at @angiengcl.