The beautiful female model had her career completely ruined because of a photo.

(Dan Tri) - Twelve years ago, a seemingly harmless advertising photo caused Heidi Yeh - a famous Taiwanese (Chinese) model - to lose everything such as reputation, career and even self-confidence.

From advertising image to global nightmare

In 2012, Heidi Yeh agreed to take photos for a beauty salon in Taiwan. The original idea was quite “funny”: A family with parents with perfect faces, but 3 children with completely different appearances. The humorous caption included: “The only thing you have to worry about is figuring out how to explain it to the kids.”

The ad campaign quickly went viral, but instead of bringing laughter, it turned into a nightmare. When the image was shared on social media with the mocking caption: “Plastic surgery - you can’t hide it forever”, the whole world started talking about “the woman who cheated on her husband because of plastic surgery”.

The advertising photo ruined the career and life of model Heidi Yeh (Photo: News).

Heidi - the model in the photo - became the target of attacks. Despite never having had surgery, she was doubted, refused contracts and lost her career.

“People didn’t believe I hadn’t had plastic surgery. Customers kept asking me if I was the woman in the photo. After that, I only got small roles in commercials. I cried many times and couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t bear to look at the photo. I hoped it wouldn’t appear again,” she said.

According to Heidi, the contract only allowed for the image to be used in print. However, the advertising agency J. Walter Thompson (JWT) shared it online and allowed Simple Beauty to exploit it further. The accompanying fabrication made her “unwillingly” famous worldwide.

Her fame vanished overnight. Her then-boyfriend's family suspected she had undergone plastic surgery. Heidi suffered from insomnia, depression, and almost gave up her career.

Heidi Yeh was in pain as a victim of cyberbullying (Photo: Independent).

She estimated that she lost more than 4 million TWD (about 3.4 billion VND) due to the canceled contract, while the lawsuit for rights dragged on for many years and then fell into oblivion.

JWT later admitted: “Our campaign was created for print publications in the Taiwanese market. However, with technology, smartphone cameras and social media, even print ads can go viral. We could not have predicted the extent of its impact, how people perceived it and what actions they would take.”

JWT said they own all rights to the photo and have the right to edit and use it. They also asserted that the service contract signed with Heidi Yeh also stipulates that they can transfer the copyright to a third party. Their apology does not seem to be enough to erase the long-term damage Heidi has suffered.

Heidi once filed a lawsuit against advertising company JWT and beauty salon Simple Beauty, but the case has remained unresolved for many years and seems to have been forgotten.

Get up from the biggest event of your life

Years later, Heidi called herself a victim of cyberbullying. She spoke out to defend not only herself but also the three children who appeared in the photo.

Heidi Yeh decided to retire after the incident (Photo: News).

“The children’s images are edited to make their faces look distorted and ugly. I’m afraid that when they grow up, they will suffer the same thing as me,” she said.

In 2018, she wrote on her personal page: “I can’t control social media, but I can control how I live my life.” That was also how Heidi closed the most painful chapter of her life.

Now, Heidi Yeh has left the stage and lives peacefully in Nantou (Taiwan). She maintains a personal page with tens of thousands of followers, but only posts photos of her daily life such as cooking, traveling , and taking care of her young son.

After breaking up with her ex-boyfriend, she found new happiness and became a mother. The model still carefully hid her son's face to avoid criticism. Currently, she only occasionally takes promotional photos for her family's store or introduces some of her favorite cosmetic products.

However, the model carefully covers her child’s face in all photos to avoid scrutiny and malicious comments. Last June, she appeared at the launch of her best friend’s fashion collection, confidently sharing: “I have gained weight, but I am happier than ever.”

Heidi Yeh currently has a simple, private life with her family in Taiwan (Photo: Weibo).

Despite giving up her modeling career, Heidi Yeh is still very gentle and beautiful. More than a decade later, the photo that “destroyed” Heidi Yeh’s career still exists somewhere on the Internet as a scar of the digital age. But the model no longer tries to erase it.

Heidi chose to forgive others and herself. She learned to smile when talking about the past, seeing it as a lesson in the power of faith and courage.

“There are things we can't delete from social media, but we can learn to live without letting it define us,” she confided.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giai-tri/nu-nguoi-mau-xinh-dep-tung-bi-huy-hoai-hoan-toan-su-nghiep-vi-mot-buc-anh-20251111100658334.htm