Anok Yai's Day in New York: Vintage Shopping, a Psychic Reading, and a First Tattoo

Shopping for a "Dark, Edgy, Sexy, Vampire" Look

The day starts at a vintage clothing store. Yai describes the looks they usually shop for as "dark, edgy, sexy, vampire style." They also admit, with some humor, to loving free things: "My favorite word is free." Yai explains that models who have close relationships with the designers they work with sometimes get clothes, shoes, and bags as gifts.

The clothing stop doesn't hold Yai's attention for long. A lantern-style lamp in the shop distracts them, and Yai says they love shopping for furniture and are easily sidetracked when they see nice pieces. The lamp puts Yai "in the mood for furniture," so they head to a furniture store.

1:25

New York and the East Village

On the way, Yai recalls moving to New York at 20 and living in the East Village. Their favorite thing then was to walk down St. Mark's Place and "cruise through the street." Yai calls the city's energy "so inspiring."

1:36

Buying What You "Can't Leave the Store Without"

At the furniture store, Yai explains how their shopping habits have changed. They used to buy things simply because they seemed cool. Now Yai buys only things they feel they can't leave the store without, and anything that passes that test comes home.

The main need is kitchen items. Yai picks up a resin figure that the staff note can't break, and a pearl-themed dish item they joke they'll use to wash dishes. They say they're grabbing "everything blue." During the visit a staff member asks Yai's sign, and Yai answers Sagittarius. They also stop to admire a sleeping dog in the shop, joking that the dog has better eyelashes than they do. Before checking out, Yai notes that furniture always ends up costing more than clothes.

2:49

A First Psychic Reading

Yai says they have always been interested in psychic readings but too scared to go. A friend recommended this reader a few months earlier, and Yai arrives nervous. The psychic asks Yai to say their name aloud and make two wishes, sharing one and keeping the other private. The wish Yai shares is to feel fulfilled and be genuinely happy.

The psychic describes Yai as strong-minded and says Yai loves love, romantic love in particular, and has always admired it but hasn't made it a priority. On career, the psychic says Yai had their own plan, but "the universe had a different plan."

The reading then turns to health. The psychic says she sees an illness that Yai is meant to heal from, and that through it Yai is meant to help other people. Yai becomes emotional and explains that they had heart and lung surgery. The psychic says she sees a lot of inflammation in the upper chest and that Yai put the problem aside for a while. Yai confirms they ignored it for a year. The psychic attributes this to a tendency to put other people first, and says Yai's intuition led them to find out what was wrong. She adds that finding out has helped other people.

Afterward Yai says, laughing, that the reading "tore my ass up." They had expected it to be funny, and instead felt the psychic really saw them.

5:09

A First Tattoo at Bang Bang

The last stop is Bang Bang, where an artist named Michelle does Yai's first tattoo. Yai is openly scared. The design is a stamp that reads "Rock," Yai's nickname. Yai says the idea came from a photo of Rihanna in a backless dress cut low on the back, and wanting a similar look with a tattoo in that spot.

Yai asks Michelle for a countdown, and Michelle offers to make a small dot first so Yai can feel what it's like. Once the needle starts, Yai says it hurts, then that it's getting better, then that Michelle is "digging deep," and asks to lie down. Between winces, Yai jokes that the scene would make a good editorial. When it's finished, Yai says they're "locked in for life now." Michelle notes the tattoo is a little swollen and will look clearer in a few hours.

6:40

Best Friends and the Howard Homecoming Story

The day ends with two best friends, whose names are hard to make out in the audio. Yai credits one of them with forcing them to go to Howard Homecoming and says they don't think they would have become a model without her. The friends recall the argument: Yai had midterms, and they had no money. Yai protested that they were "book smart," but the friend insisted they go anyway.

Yai teases the friends by mentioning the new tattoo and making them find it ("Follow the diamond"). One friend guesses the location correctly. The friends approve, and the conversation briefly turns to a man one of them remembered meeting, an idea the others jokingly veto. Yai closes by thanking viewers for spending the day with them, and the friends head out for the night.