What Being a Foodie and Model Taught Me About Confidence

I never thought slurping hot noodles in a new city or twirling in front of a camera lens would teach me the same thing: how to feel at home in my skin.

Food and modeling seem like total opposites. One is about comfort, the other about presentation. One can get messy, while the other can feel like perfection is the ultimate goal. But for me, both have become powerful mirrors helping me confront insecurities, rewrite old narratives, and ultimately learn how to take up space with joy.

This is what being a foodie and a model taught me about confidence. And let me tell you, it had nothing to do with being flawless.

🍜 1. Food Taught Me to Take Up Space with Joy

As a Korean American woman, I grew up surrounded by delicious food, bold flavors, vibrant colors, and the unspoken rule that love often shows up in the form of a full plate. But somewhere along the way, I absorbed the lie that enjoying food too much made me “too much.” Too loud. Too indulgent. Too big.

Traveling and exploring new dishes for Sabby’s Sojourns helped me unlearn that. I found freedom in savoring a perfectly grilled pork belly, joy in sipping sweet mead on a summer patio, and peace in eating not for the photo, but for the experience. Being a foodie helped me see food as art, culture, and connection, and no longer as something to fear or restrict.

Confidence began when I stopped apologizing for my appetite, whether it was for food, life, or adventure.

📸 2. Modeling Taught Me to See Myself Through a New Lens

I never thought I’d model. It felt reserved for “those girls”—the ones who were airbrushed, polished, always poised. But when I stepped in front of the camera for the first time, something shifted. I saw a woman who had been through hell and still showed up. I saw angles and softness, as well as fierceness and vulnerability.

Modeling taught me how to pose, yes. But more importantly, it taught me how to hold myself. To stand tall even when my heart was racing. To let the camera see me, not the filtered, polished version, but the real one.

There’s a quiet strength in saying, “Here I am,” and not flinching.

💫 3. Both Taught Me to Embrace My Imperfections

Let’s be real, neither food nor modeling always feels glamorous. Sometimes the light isn’t flattering. Sometimes your lipstick smudges. Sometimes you spill hot broth on your shirt mid-bite. But you keep going.

Confidence, I’ve learned, isn’t the absence of mess; it’s the decision to keep showing up in the middle of it.

Through food blogging, I stopped striving for the perfect photo and started chasing the real story behind the plate. Through modeling, I stopped nitpicking my body and started honoring it as the vessel that carried me through every tear, every trip, every transformation.

🧠 4. Confidence Is a Practice, Not a Destination

People often say, “You’re so confident!” However, the truth is that I practice confidence every single day. When I say yes to a new shoot, when I share something vulnerable on the blog, when I sit alone at a café and order exactly what I want, I’m choosing to believe in myself again.

There are days I feel unsure. There are still wounds I’m healing from. But confidence isn’t about always knowing. It’s about trusting yourself, anyway.

🕊️ 5. The Real Glow-Up Is Internal

Today, I walk a little taller not because I’ve “arrived,” but because I’ve embraced that I don’t need to. My worth doesn’t hinge on a dress size or a perfectly lit plate. It lives in how I treat myself, how I speak to myself, and how I show up for my dreams.

Being a foodie and a model taught me how to nourish myself, body, mind, and spirit. And that’s the kind of glow that no filter can fake.

Whether you’re finding confidence in front of a mirror, behind a lens, or through your favorite bowl of ramen, know that you’re not alone. Your journey is worthy. Your presence matters. You don’t need to shrink to be seen.

You were made to take up space.

With love and bold flavor,
Sabby

Let this be your reminder: you don’t have to earn your worth. You already are wonderfully made.

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” - Psalm 139:14 (NIV)