Lena Li
Lena Li is a 35-year-old figure brought into public attention in Singapore for her claims of being a former Citibank staff member turned model, alleged to have appeared on magazine covers such as Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and FHM. She has also been nominated for “Emerging Star” at the 2025 Influencer Magazine Awards (IMA). However, many of her claims have been met with skepticism after investigations raised doubts about their authenticity.[1]
Background
According to her LinkedIn-profile claims reported in the media, Lena Li says she studied at University of London, University of Saskatchewan, and University of York.[1]
Employment and modelling claims
Lena Li purportedly worked in public relations at Citibank Singapore, although when contacted, Citibank stated they could not find records of a “Dr Lena Li” (or similar names used) having worked there, either as a PR consultant or otherwise.[1] She also claims to have been headhunted out of Citibank by a modelling agency. As part of her modelling claims, Lena Li is said to have appeared on magazine covers—specifically Vogue Monaco, Cosmopolitan Canada, and FHM Singapore—but media investigations found that these magazine credentials appear to be dubious. For example, Vogue Monaco’s Instagram was taken down, and Cosmopolitan Canada disavowed ownership of the “Cosmopolitan Canada” name used in her profile.[1]
Online presence and controversies
Lena Li has been linked with several pseudonyms, such as Li Ling Ling, Mercy Li, and BustySingaporean, among others. Some media sleuths have also raised the possibility that some of the photos used in her profile are misattributed—either taken from other people (models) or AI-enhanced. Mothership A reverse image search showed images claimed under her name that match older images of other models from years past.[1]