Size is a tender subject. Unfortunately, girls everywhere have suffered from the vicious stereotype that the only way to be “beautiful” is to be thin. There are advertisements, commercials, and movies telling girls how to look, and it’s horrible. Fortunately, a Korean fashion magazine called 66100 has strayed from the typical toothpick image and has strived to display a body image that is more real and relatable.
66100’s creator (and plus-size model), Vivian Kim, had the idea to portray a bigger body image in Korea — despite the country’s strict belief of a slender appearance being beautiful. It was a bold move, and many people who have heard of the magazine have supported it. Ms. Kim has said that for her next issue, she will focus on men because, although it is more advertised with women, men still have the issue of comparing themselves to men in advertisements with a certain body shape.
The unique name of the magazine reflects the smallest size in Korea that would be considered “overweight” (66), and the smallest size for a man that would be considered “overweight” (100) (both of these sizes are equivalent to an XL here in the US).
Vivian Kim said, “The reason why many Korean women gain weight when they go overseas is because they don’t feel stressed out about wearing certain sizes because there are diverse sizes available.”
Ms. Kim has put a lot of time and effort into her magazine. Not only did she come up with the idea, but she is modelling for it herself, and she paid out of her own pocket to publish one thousand copies of the first issue to get it started. People are reacting positively toward it and have sent Ms. Kim notes and messages about how they love her magazine and fully support her strong message.
These are the kinds of people and magazines that young girls need to look up to. Both girls and boys will struggle with body image at one point, so it only seems like common sense that society should try and make people feel confident in their own skin.
As Vivian Kim said herself: “Beauty is not whether a person is fat or not. It’s about having the confidence to know you are beautiful the way you are.”
If you want to learn more about Vivian Kim as well as see some of her photos, head here.