South Korean model challenges traditional beauty standards

Taylor Tak is a South Korean plus-size model who is making waves in a country which she says traditionally rejects plus-size individuals. The model known as Taylor T wears a size 14 and told CurvySense that she was forced to attend "diet school" as a child and that her parents restricted her calorie intake. Taylor T has only recently found peace with her body but is encouraging others to feel comfortable in their own skin. She has modeled for clothing companies such as SheIn and Fashion Nova and has appeared in publications such as Cosmopolitan Korea.

"It is hard for me to find modeling work here since potential employers think models should be size 0-6 and the Korean fashion market is quite uniformly conservative," Tak said in an interview with CurvySense.
She also mentioned that weight and body image are things that everyone, even elders, are concerned with in Korea. Plus-size individuals in Korea are seen as lazy.

We have talked a lot about the societal pressures that both women and men in the United States face with regards to having the perfect body. I think it is important to look at how these standards look in other countries as well. While there is still not nearly enough plus-size representation in the U.S., there is significantly less representation in countries such as South Korea.