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| From left, Bang Wu-ri, Kim Yoo-jin and Bae Kyo-hyun pose for a photo shoot held before an interview with The Korea Times. Courtesy of J Style |
Living as plus-size models in Korea, country obsessed with slimness
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Unrealistically thin runway models have long defined the beauty in the fashion industry. To maintain their perfect body shapes, it is well-known that they endure an "inhumane" diet behind the scenes.
Today's conventional beauty standards, in which slimness is considered one of the key components of women's beauty, push them around to forgo meals and ultimately leave them exposed to health risks and eating disorders.
Having grown tired of an anorexic society, plus-size models have recently started to challenge conventional notions about beauty and promote alternative beauty. Beauty is, according to them, much more than a slim frame. It's about embracing the fact that women come in all shapes and sizes.
Surprisingly, their voice is gaining momentum in Korea, one of the world's thinnest countries. Korea ranked 34th out of 35 member Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries with an obesity rate of 5.3 percent, followed by Japan (3.7 percent), according to the OECD's annual "Obesity Update 2017."
The body standards in Korea are pretty extreme, given the data that Korea follows stricter obesity standards compared with Western countries. The data provided by Rep. Nam In-soon of the Democratic Party of Korea for a National Assembly audit showed that a person is obese here if a body mass index (BMI) is equal to or greater than 25 whereas in the West, BMI equal to or greater than 30 is considered obese. "Extreme dieting is one of the major health concerns in Korea," Nam said.
Moreover, the effects of media content on ideas of physical beauty appear robust with women in particular. Exposure to ideals of physical beauty generates feelings of inadequacy regardless of real body weight, thinking obesity is unattractive.
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| Plus-size models pose before they walk the runway for the fashion show's grand finale. Courtesy of J Style |
To tackle negative body stereotypes, J Style, an online retailer that sells plus-size clothing alongside slimmer clothes, has taken the lead in decrying fat-shaming by hosting an annual plus-size model contest since 2016. Participants must be over size 14 (U.S.) and 160 centimeters tall, and its main purpose is to bring people closer to realizing body positivity.
The number of applicants has increased significantly in the last three years, and it surpassed 200 contestants this year, according to J Style. Of them, the top 15 finalists were given the opportunity to compete with runway looks, catwalk and performances, all to crown a winner who gets 1 million won ($890) and a one-year modeling contract with the company.
This year's winner Kim Yoo-jin, 25, and runner-up Bang Wu-ri, 27, competed against 200 other models to grab higher spots while Bae Kyo-hyun, 24, the first runner-up of last year's contest, extended her modeling contract and was offered as a mentor for the new models.
The three pioneers recall that their journey to the runway hasn't been an easy one.
But thanks to them, Korea's plus-size representation is showing a slow but steady improvement.
Bring it on
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| Bae Kyo-hyun, 24, is first runner-up of last year's model contest. She extended her modeling contract recently and acted as a mentor for new models. / Courtesy of J Style |
Unlike Bae, Kim entered into the industry by chance. She saw an advertorial for the modeling contest on Instagram and decided to give it a try to boost her self-esteem. "I've suffered low self-esteem after receiving negative comments on my body shape, saying I'm fat. But I wanted to stop seeking validation from others," she said. "I think it's important to find the positives inside you."
Bang was a regular officer worker before changing her career and becoming a plus- size model. Thinking she'd never be able to express herself in a typical Korean office environment, which is often very quiet and formal, the 27-year-old sought an escape.
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| Kim Yoo-jin, 25, was crowned first place in "J Style Model Contest" held in Seoul on Sept. 7. Courtesy of J Style |
When asked if there was any cutthroat competition behind the stage, Kim said "we had camaraderie between us, so didn't get jealous of each other. We did our best to make the most of what we've got on shoots and runway."
Such camaraderie was possible because they had one common goal in mind: to tackle the country's body-shaming culture and spread body positivity, according to her.
For all three, participating in the contest was a life-changing experience. Bang said she's gained more confidence and learned to love herself. "I used to think pretty clothes were not for me, but for 'normal' people. But after becoming a model, I feel comfortable showing off my belly and think 'why not wear them?'"
Eccentrics and misfits
The three opened up about the hardships they faced as "fat girls." Bae shared that boys her age used to make fun of her big, muscular calves. "Back then, I just stayed silent and waited for them to stop. I thought if I react to them, they'd tease me more," she said. When asked if she'd react differently as of now, she answered that she would definitely speak up.
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| Bang Wu-ri, 27, is the runner-up of this year's model contest. She also won the Passion Award at the ceremony. Courtesy of J Style |
"Now that I've overcome prejudices, I just want to tell my younger self I'm beautiful the way I am," she added.
Despite the bad experiences and frustrations, the girls did not let their size bring them down. They claimed they now have a bigger dream to change the public opinion about true beauty.
"In Korean society, there are categories for only small, medium and large," said Bae said. "The rest don't belong anywhere. Free sizes aren't free either."
So they often buy clothes online or at foreign retailers like Zara and H&M where bigger sizes exist. "It's hard to find my size in local stores, so I usually go online or look for foreign brands," Bang said.
The three said their least favorite thing about modeling is receiving negative comments and body stereotypes on plus-size models.
Now models have social media platforms, so even if they're not incredibly well-known, they can still have a relatively big following and articulate their views in a way they weren't able to do before. J Style Evellet, a clothing line for plus-size customers, has over 35,000 followers on Instagram, who leave comments on the label's plus-size models.
Bae said although the majority of the followers are their fans, there are people who leave negative comments. "Some say plus-size models are lazy and unhealthy, but that's not true," Bae insisted. "I drink pineapple vinegar every day. My photo shoot preparation includes cutting out carbs and relying on low-calorie shakes. I also do squats and abs workout at home."
Future aspirations
The girls agreed they want to redefine beauty in an inspiring way and promote a healthy weight message.
"My role model is Naomi Watanabe, a Japanese plus-size comedian. I like her bright energy that makes people laugh," Bae said.
Bang chose Rihanna as her fashion icon while Kim picked Dua Lipa as her muse for their vigorous, bold looks and manners.
Bang said she wants to tell "fat" people not to be limited by the stereotype that they should wear a certain type of clothes only. "When I was young, I used to be hurt when I was told I'm fat, but now life is so much more fulfilling if you can have pride in yourself," she said.
Kim expressed hope that people, no matter what size, will start embracing their bodies. "I want to give confidence to people who are stressed by their physical appearance. If I can overcome the prejudices, you can do it too," she said.
"And I'm looking forward to the day where the term plus-size doesn't exist anymore, and we're just models and it's just clothes."
