It's taken work for Mizuhara to reach that point of self confidence. CNN reported that she struggled growing up because she's biracial. Her father is from Texas and her mother is Japanese from Korean descent. "When I went to school, I felt really embarrassed," she told CNN. "My dad is American. He looked so different — blond hair, blue eyes, super tall. And I also didn't want anyone to find out that my mom was Korean." She added that she asked her dad not to come to her school so her classmates wouldn't find out he was American. She also dressed like the other kids to fit in. But it came the cost of stifling her true self.