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Leah Dizon is currently one of Japan's hottest supermodels, but rumors of a dark past and copycat actresses appearing in porn have got her sponsors shaking in their boots.
Dizon, 20, the daughter of a French-American mother and ethnic Chinese Filipino father, has taken Japan by storm since arriving here from the United States late last year and now boasts of appearing in commercials for over 10 major companies. But there've been plenty of others jumping onto the bandwagon, and her success has sparked an amazing number of look-alike actresses turning up in blue movies.
Doubts about Dizon are causing consternation at Kao Corp., a prominent toiletries maker whose Essential shampoo ads are among the most prestigious in the country. Dizon is currently appearing in the commercials, joining a long line of prominent actresses who have plugged the shampoo in the past such as Kumiko Goto, Takako Matsu, Yuko Takeuchi and Chiemi Hori. Such a high profile advertisement in Japan demands that the figure up front have a squeaky clean past, but Dizon's time in the U.S. is casting clouds over her reputation.
"Leah is certainly hot as far as it comes to being a pin-up model. That's made her really popular among young guys. But you've gotta wonder whether that gives her much appeal among young women, who are the target audience for Essential shampoo," an ad agency insider tells Shukan Gendai.
But the reservations about Dizon are not just to do with her advertising affect.
"Dizon's name was put forward for the commercial in the spring and the decision to use her made in June. The exotic looks she gets from her parents and her long, flowing hair made her ideal for a shampoo commercial," the insider says. "Then she got caught up in a mini-scandal. Shukan Post ran photos of her that sparked a huge discussion about whether her genitals were sticking out of her swimsuit. Her sponsors were frantic."
A close look at the pictures of Dizon taken sticking her butt toward the camera reveals there is some justification to the claims of exposed genitals, an absolute no-no in Japan. The photo was taken when Dizon was a grid girl in the U.S. Publication of the shots sparked a flood of nude pictures posted online of Dizon's American model days, including swimsuit shots and at least one photo of semi-nude Leah Dizon and using only her hands to cover her otherwise exposed breasts.
"There were even photos of her private life posted on the Net, including one of her clinging onto a guy at a party. There're even rumors of an American guy going around claiming to be a friend of Leah's and offering to sell some really raunchy pics of her," a showbiz source tells Gendai.
Kao has apparently been involved in strenuous discussions with Dizon's handlers about the possibility of further skeletons in the model's closet. But the public face Kao is showing is not one of concern.
"We know nothing about any such talk, so can't comment on it," a Kao spokesman tells Gendai. "We believed Leah Dizon would receive the firm support of those people who use our Essential shampoo, so decided to use her in our commercials."
Being the face of Kao is not the only area where Dizon is being used, though. Shukan Bunshun notes that an unprecedented five Dizon look-alike porno films have already surfaced in Japan's vigorous adult movie industry. Look-alikes have long been an active genre in the Japanese porno world, but never before has any celebrity sparked a reaction so quickly.
One porn actress calling herself Rina Dison - and who does bear a remarkable resemblance to Dizon -- has already released two stick flicks, the cover of each featuring her in a pose identical to those Dizon adopted for well-known posters.
"We were the first to get a Dizon look-alike movie on the market and it's been a hit for us this year," the adult movie seller tells Bunshun. "Our actress said she feels very sorry for Dizon."
Popular adult movie actress Anna Kanzaki has also used her similarity to Dizon to release a look-alike lechery movie. And Yu Hazuki, another well-known purveyor of pornography, has also appeared in two Dizon similarity stick flicks.
"People are always telling us Hazuki looks more like Dizon than any of the look-alikes," a representative from the seller of the movies says. "We're taking special care to make sure we don't make Hazuki look too much like the real thing."
Dizon's talent agency, meanwhile, is not amused.
"We're totally ignoring these places," an agency spokesman tells Shukan Bunshun. "We want them to take steps that will avoid causing misunderstandings, but if we started complaining to all these places, we'd be so busy that's the only work we'd get done."
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