A Day in New York With Anok Yai: Furniture, a Psychic Reading, and a First-Time Tattoo

Shopping: "Dark, Edgy, Sexy, Vampire Style"

The day opens with clothes shopping. Yai describes the looks they usually go for as "dark, edgy, sexy, vampire style." They also admit to loving free things, saying their favorite word is "free." They explain that models who have close relationships with the designers they work with are sometimes given clothes, shoes, and bags.

Yai gets distracted quickly. A bathtub catches their eye, then a lantern they say they "really like so bad." The lamp puts them "in the mood for furniture," so the outing moves to a furniture store. Yai calls furniture shopping a real passion and says they notice good furniture everywhere.

1:27

Early Days in the East Village

On the way, Yai recalls moving to New York at 20 and living in the East Village. Their favorite thing at the time was cruising along St. Mark's Place. They describe the city's energy as "so inspiring."

1:41

How Yai Shops Now

At the furniture store, Yai explains how their approach has changed. They used to buy things simply because they seemed cool. Now they buy only things they feel they "can't leave the store without," and that is the test they apply throughout the visit.

Kitchen items are the main priority. Yai picks up a resin figure that a staff member points out can't be broken, and a pearl-shaped item they joke they'll use to wash dishes. At one point they say they are "just grabbing everything blue." A staff member asks Yai's star sign, and they answer Sagittarius. A dog in the shop briefly distracts them, and they joke that it has better eyelashes than they do. Before wrapping up the purchases, Yai remarks that whenever they buy furniture, it costs more than the clothes.

2:49

The Psychic Reading

Next is a psychic reading. Yai says they have always been interested in readings but were too scared to go. A friend had recommended this reader a few months earlier, and Yai admits to being nervous going in.

The reader asks Yai to say their name aloud and make two wishes, one shared and one kept private. The shared wish is: "I want to feel fulfilled and be genuinely happy."

The reader first describes Yai as very strong-minded. The reader says Yai loves romantic love and has always been drawn to it and admired it, but hasn't made it a priority. On career, the reader says Yai had their own plan and path, but "the universe had a different plan."

The reader then says they see an illness, one Yai is "meant to heal from," and says that through it Yai is meant to help other people. Yai responds that they had heart and lung surgery. The reader adds that they see a lot of inflammation in the upper chest and that Yai put the problem aside for a while. Yai confirms it was set aside for a year. The reader attributes this to Yai's tendency to put themselves behind and other people above them. The reader also says Yai's intuition, or "sixth sense," led them to find out what was wrong, and that finding out has helped other people.

Afterward, Yai says they had expected to treat the session lightly, joking that the reader "tore my ass up." They sum it up: "She said, 'I see you.'"

4:59

Getting the "Rock" Tattoo at Bang Bang

Yai then goes to the tattoo studio Bang Bang, where an artist named Michelle has prepared sketches. Yai calls themselves excited and scared at the same time.

The design is a stamp reading "Rock," which is Yai's nickname. They explain the inspiration: a picture of Rihanna in a backless dress that dipped low down the back. Yai wanted that look with a tattoo in the same spot.

The session is played partly for laughs. Yai asks for a countdown, and Michelle offers to place a few small dots first so they can feel the needle. Yai says "Michelle, you lied. It hurts," then admits it is getting better, and later asks to lie down. They joke that the moment would make "a very cool editorial." Once it's finished, Yai says they and Michelle are "locked in for life now." Michelle notes the area is a little swollen and will look clearer in a few hours.

6:34

Best Friends and the Road to Modeling

The day ends with Yai's best friends, Ayinde and Renee. Yai credits Renee with forcing them to go to Howard Homecoming and says that without her, they don't think they would have become a model. Renee says she talked Yai into it but that it would have happened anyway. The friends recall that they were broke at the time and that Yai was "book smart."

Yai then mentions, almost as an afterthought, that they got a tattoo that day. The friends react with shock and turn it into a game of finding it on Yai's body, telling each other to "follow the diamond" and have Yai turn around until they spot it. After a closer look, one friend says they actually like it. The conversation drifts to someone who once tattooed one of the friends, and when that friend jokes about wanting to meet him, another quickly vetoes the idea.

Yai closes by thanking viewers for following their day, and the friends head out for the night.