Mead started her modelling career at 17, while living in Manila, and continued to model in
Bangkok and
Hong Kong. Having picked up
Australian and
American accent tones from living in Australia and Asia, Joey can imitate accents. She is able to speak in Filipino, Australian, South African, American, and British accents. Currently based in the Philippines, Mead can also speak and understand basic
Tagalog. She was a
video jockey for Channel V|Channel [V] International in
Hong Kong from 1996 to 2000, and as a commercial model appeared on over 30 Philippine magazine covers, as well ad campaigns and magazine covers in Singapore,
Malaysia, Thailand, Japan and
Indonesia. She has lived and worked in
New York City as a Ford model and is currently with Ford
Los Angeles and
San Francisco, and was the first Philippine model to lead in advertisements for
Head & Shoulders and
Lexus airing in
Canada. She notably posed nude for the cover of the
Eraserheads‘ 1997 album,
Sticker Happy. In 2008, a magazine cover with Mead wearing the
Philippine flag as a
bodysuit caused an uproar in local media, as it was seen as profanation violating the Flag and Heraldic Code of 1998. In her defense, Mead said:
Yes, I wore a representation of the Philippine flag on a magazine cover. This image for me is something that is inspiring, the same way sports brands have produced their Philippine flag-inspired track sports jackets and limited edition shoes. It is the same logic why people put Philippine flag or map tattoos on their bodies. When you’ve done as many magazine covers as I have, you’d want to do something that meant more to you — this means a lot to me, it represents my work, and I’m not embarrassed about the female form. I wanted to make a statement. I wanted to be part of something that breaks the “rules” and provoke people to think and feel... She returned to
Singapore in 2005 to join entertainment show
Ebuzz on
AXN channel, where she interviewed Hollywood celebrities. In 2006, she hosted the
World Cup series in Singapore for
StarHub, and worked a presenter for
HBO Asia from 2008 to 2009. Her hosting skills won her work for lifestyle, corporate, red carpet, and live interviews. In 2012, it was announced that she would be the model mentor and co-judge for
Asia's Next Top Model for three cycles. She co-presented the
Miss Universe 2016 pageant at the
Mall of Asia Arena in
Pasay,
Metro Manila, on January 30, 2017. == Personal life ==