By GI Korea on June 30th, 2011 at 1:00 pm

Picture of the Day: The First Cover of YAHAE!

• Nobody
  2:37 pm on June 30th, 2011 1

  Putting a tranny on the cover of the first issue… man that takes some balls!

• JoeC
  3:54 pm on June 30th, 2011 2

  It’s a good marketing strategy. Starting with a controversial issue is a sure way to get immediate attention and “buzz.”

• kushibo
  4:42 pm on June 30th, 2011 3

  Controversial? Try passé. As I explained here, Harisu was a phenomenon in South Korea for several years, making this not some touchy, taboo topic, but something that, well, a lot of Koreans may just no longer have that great an interest in.

  Maybe they’re tired of having trannies shoved down their throat. They’ve had their fill. Among the most conservative, though, they might be afraid of what surprise awaits them when they lift the cover.

• JoeC
  5:02 pm on June 30th, 2011 4

  I’m guessing by the amount of English on the cover that the target audience is not just domestic Koreans.

• Michael Hurt
  5:18 pm on June 30th, 2011 5

  #1 – Badum-dum, ching! Hehe.

  #3 – Don’t follow your logic. The theme is sexual minorities in the Korean fashion industry. We put a transgender model on the cover, which has never been done before, but also mainly because she’s a real model who looks great and can carry it. The fact that a transgender person has appeared in the Korean public eye has nothing to do with anything, and don’t see what makes this “passé.” She’s a cover model who looks great, who falls within the scope of the topic. Actually, sine it’s our first issue, I decided to play it conservative, more than anything else. Hence, the very traditional beauty/fashion cover. And yes, she happens to be transgender. I guess in Kushibo’s eyes, there’s only room for one transgender person in society at a time?

  #4 – True, but not so much because of the English. Most Korean fashion magazines have most of the large lead titles in English as well, and keep the English to what any educated Korean could read. Short of that, they’ll have it in Korean. And like French in the 80′s in the US, English is “cool” in Korean fashion magazines. The more the reader gets the idea that they are reading a real fashion magazine with all these foreign influences, the better. In fact, that’s one of the main aesthetic differences between Korean domestic and international-branch fashion mags. The domestic ones are seen as…too parochial? Hard to explain, but there’s that thing there. In short, the amount of English on the cover is about what you’d see on many Korean fashion mags.

• kushibo
  5:43 pm on June 30th, 2011 6

  I guess in Kushibo’s eyes, there’s only room for one transgender person in society at a time?

  Dial down the sensitivity, Metro. I was responding to others’ comments (here, and in the WSJ link that was in my own link) that highlighting someone from a sexual minority in the press was controversial, ballsy, or wouldn’t be accepted by Korean media.

  That I pointed out the obvious case of Harisu does not, as you say you took it, mean there is room for only one. Note, Metro, that I did not criticize your putting her on the cover of your magazine, only the notion that doing so is controversial or edgy. In fact, two weeks ago, I highlighted your cover and ended my critiquing piece by telling people to go read the danged thing.

• ChickenHead
  7:28 pm on June 30th, 2011 7

  I see a good change to bring in advertizing dollars (won) with this.

  “What’s on the cover of your new magazine?”

  “Nut ‘N’ Honey”

• Orbit
  8:26 pm on June 30th, 2011 8

  what a stupid name for a magazine.

• Leon LaPorte
  8:38 pm on June 30th, 2011 9

  #8 Agreed and almost trademark infringement. With all the creative things one could name a magazine, this was it? If this is the best the creative forces behind this venture could come up with, it doesn’t bode well. 9-12 months before the “Trans-testicle Times” folds.

• Nobody
  9:26 pm on June 30th, 2011 10

  I’d hit it… I wouldn’t tell my friends though

• Michael Hurt
  9:40 pm on June 30th, 2011 11

  Not being sensitive. Simply explaining that there was no attempt at stirring up controversy, so I don’t see the cover as being “passé” in that sense. It just doesn’t at all fit into your false argument. Don’t see why you are always on about me being “sensitive” or whatnot. It’s an explanation.

  As for the name of the mag, tell it to Bitch or Out or the online fashion mag Jezebel, or any number of niche magazines that take a word with some negative connotations and create a brand out of it. It’s actually not even all that much of a new idea, frankly. It’s just new in the Korean market, which is why some of the more conservative don’t like it.

  As for “folding,” since it’s online and carried by free services, kind of the point of the whole experiment, I don’t really see that one coming true. And since it’s basically the next step past where Feetmanseoul is, and that’s been going strong and serving me well since 2006, I think I’ll be around in 9-12 months, thanks.

• Leon LePorte
  10:06 pm on June 30th, 2011 12

  I still think the “Trans-testicle Times” is a better name. But despite my pessimism, I certainly with any fellow foreigner luck in their business dealings. Cheers!

• kushibo
  10:10 pm on June 30th, 2011 13

  Metropolitician wrote:
  

  Not being sensitive. Simply explaining that there was no attempt at stirring up controversy, so I don’t see the cover as being “passé” in that sense. It just doesn’t at all fit into your false argument. Don’t see why you are always on about me being “sensitive” or whatnot. It’s an explanation.

  I’m “always on you,” if that’s what I am, well, because you seem to have a tendency to take one point, twist it around, and then go off for thousands of 자 about that point you interpreted at best only half correctly. Ahem.

  Case in point, I didn’t say you were trying to be controversial; rather, I was specifically (and pretty clearly, I thought) responding to JoeC and Evan Ramstad, who described the topic as controversial and what-not.

  So, to make it clear, I was not saying you were trying to make a controversial cover; I was speaking of the issue itself not being controversial, even passé.

  But that’s not what you were going for. I get what you were going for, and I think the choice of covers if fine for that. Not necessarily edgy, but completely appropriate for the subject matter inside. In fact, I think it’s kinda inspired that anyone who picks it up without paying attention to the text on the side would, just as with the model on the cover herself, be in for a surprise when they lift the cover.
  

  As for the name of the mag, tell it to Bitch or Out or the online fashion mag Jezebel, or any number of niche magazines that take a word with some negative connotations and create a brand out of it.

  My main beef with the title seems like the kind of word choice a non-native Korean speaker would think sounds really edgy but a native Korean speaker would find very grating. Yes, grating is a negative word, but it’s not the same kind of negative you’re assuming I mean. And I don’t think it’s analogous to Out.

  I think a good title for your magazine would have been Cred.
  

  As for “folding,” since it’s online and carried by free services, kind of the point of the whole experiment, I don’t really see that one coming true. And since it’s basically the next step past where Feetmanseoul is, and that’s been going strong and serving me well since 2006, I think I’ll be around in 9-12 months, thanks.

  For the record, I did not predict it folding, nor did I state any desire for it to do so. Quite the opposite, in fact.

  I’d like to see it succeed and flourish, Metropolitician.

• kushibo
  10:13 pm on June 30th, 2011 14

  Leon LaPorte wrote a comment so nice, he posted it twice:
  

  I still think the “Trans-testicle Times” is a better name. But, despite my pessimism, I certainly WISH any fellow foreigner luck in their business dealings. Cheers!

  Ahem. I’m assuming Queen Mini (whoa… historical pun!) will not be the cover girl on every issue, so I would think that “Trans-Testicle Times” is not a good topic. She was chosen, I would guess, because of timeliness and relevance, but there will be other topics, people, and issues that are more timely and relevant for other covers.

  I look forward to the next nine to twelve covers, and then at least nine to twelve more.

• Leon LePorte
  11:01 pm on June 30th, 2011 15

  #15 LOL

  Why do we use the word “she”. It was born a he, it will always be so no matter what extraneous parts one might chop off or add.

  For example, If I throw a Lamborghini body onto a VW Beetle, it’s still a VW.

• Retired GI
  11:09 pm on June 30th, 2011 16

  #10 What’s the difference between a man’s lips and a woman’s lips?

• Retired GI
  11:11 pm on June 30th, 2011 17

  She likely has it together better than the regular females.

• Retired GI
  11:15 pm on June 30th, 2011 18

  #16 Leon, I would rather drive a VW in a Lamborghini body than a regular VW.

  Besides, a woman that was born a man can better understand a man.

• kushibo
  11:19 pm on June 30th, 2011 19

  Why do we use the word “she”. It was born a he, it will always be so no matter what extraneous parts one might chop off or add.

  Well, if you look under the hood, which parts do you see? The genitalia’ll tell ‘ya.

  In the words of Wendy’s: Parts is parts.

• Retired GI
  11:46 pm on June 30th, 2011 20

  Good point

• In Saipan
  12:11 am on July 1st, 2011 21

  Metro…It has never been done before? Don’t be ridiculous. Harisu has been on the cover offashion magazines.

• Michael Hurt
  12:27 am on July 1st, 2011 22

  #22 — It’s a matter of listening to what I said, multiple times and very clearly. She is a transgendered MODEL, and to my knowledge, no, a transgendered model has never graced the cover of a fashion magazine. I personally don’t remember seeing Harisu on one, but that wasn’t my point — the reason I put Han Mini on is because she is a MODEL, and we had a long conversation about this, since she is sensitive about the “zoo animal” effect that often surrounds Harisu and other transgendered people. She wants to be known for something she is good at in her field, NOT JUST being a “transgendered [insert occupation here].” She is a model, won an international beauty competition amongst her peers, and does modeling and is a burgeoning designer. So she was an appropriate choice for the cover. In that sense, she has nothing to do with Harisu, and yes, she’s the first transgendered model to be on a fashion magazine cover.

• kushibo
  1:42 am on July 1st, 2011 23

  Metro, Harisu herself (who is called a model) has never been on a fashion magazine cover? Asking, not saying.

  On a more positive note, do you have two different formats for your magazine? It seems right now I’m getting a blog-looking format (yahae.tumblr.com), but just earlier I got a three-column layout (even columns, all articles) with “화려하고 맛있는” whatever at the top. I can’t find the three-column layout now, but I wanted to say I thought it looked very clean and accessible. I’m using a 21-inch iMac and a 13-inch MacBook Pro, and it is easy to read on both of them. Haven’t checked it out on my iPhone4 yet, though.

  One thing I noticed, though, is that on the opening screen of the three-column layout, however, was that except for the heading above the title, there was no Korean language until you scrolled down, which may not be ideal if the goal is to make it bilingual and accessible to anglophones and coreaphones.

  Did I just happen to catch that layout while it was in transition, or are there multiple formats out there?

• kushibo
  1:47 am on July 1st, 2011 24

  I wrote:
  

  Metro, Harisu herself (who is called a model) has never been on a fashion magazine cover? Asking, not saying.

  Duh, you answered that in the same comment. I need to either pay attention to packing or pay attention to reading. Can’t do both right now.

  Metropolitician wrote:
  

  the reason I put Han Mini on is because she is a MODEL, and we had a long conversation about this, since she is sensitive about the “zoo animal” effect that often surrounds Harisu and other transgendered people. She wants to be known for something she is good at in her field, NOT JUST being a “transgendered [insert occupation here].”

  Respect for that. And I think she is presented on your magazine cover quite fittingly for that goal.

• ChickenHead
  2:52 am on July 1st, 2011 25

  Retired GI,

  FYI… the man’s lips are connected to a man.

• Michael Hurt
  5:26 am on July 1st, 2011 26

  Oh — glad you noticed the difference and thanks for the feedback — actually, I think my explanation was aimed at another commenter, though.

  The main page is at a tumblr site, where the content is a mix of reblogged content from other tumblr sites (there is a LOT of fashion content out there), quick and dirty stuff that we upload, like a quick cellphone pic or quick comment, small fashion news snippets, etc. Fleeting stuff.

  Our original content is stored on a wordpress site, with our major articles going up about twice a week. That place also gets google love, and one might end up there, but as soon as you hit “return to the main site” it spits you back to the tumblr one.

  Having been to the wordpress one means you must have clicked to read one of our big feature articles, then clicked to go back and were taken to tumblr. And you never knew what hit you, which is kind of the point.

  What do you think of that?

• Retired GI
  6:23 am on July 1st, 2011 27

  25 Chickenhead, not the answer I was looking for but true none the less.

• Retired GI
  6:26 am on July 1st, 2011 28

  He sure is cute. I really like the cute little lock on the belt. Wonder what the intended meaning is.

• kangaji
  6:41 am on July 1st, 2011 29

  #16 the number and location

• Nobody
  6:04 pm on July 1st, 2011 30

  #16, Retired GI, I’m not sure what you’re getting at with that one

• ChickenHead
  8:12 pm on July 1st, 2011 31

  Nobody,

  “#10 What’s the difference between a man’s lips and a woman’s lips?”

  Having consumed gallons and gallons of alcohol over the years with homeless people and crazies to generals and Nobel Laureates… and everyone in between… every subject that can possibly come up in a group of drunk men has been discussed, dissected, contemplated, parsed, considered, and poked at from every angle.

  I have ready and semi-socially-acceptable answers to every variation of, “If you were on a deserted island and had a gun to your head, would you…” to “Would sex with your clone be masturbation or homosexuality.”

  When these kind of contemplations happen, the choice is always given of, “Who would you get married and live with if you had no other choice, a) a big, fat, harry, loud, old, stinky, handicapped, hateful woman or b) a sweet, beautiful, loving tranny? Just kill me is not an option.”

  Hours can be spent pinning each other down about just how nasty the woman has to be and just how hot the tranny has to be.

  In the end, one can always devise a woman so grotesquely hideous that even the most conservative of Christian homophobes will break down and choose the sweet little dude as their life partner… with rationalizations such as, “I guess it can always be lopped off.”

  Further hours can be spent contemplating what sex acts one would and wouldn’t do with one’s new wife that is actually a man.

  That’s what Retired GI was getting at.

  Some guys don’t even need the “stick” of an ugly girl to push them toward the “carrot” of the hot ladyboy (so to speak)… and a lot of long-time SE Asia dwellers cannot speak highly enough of a ladyboy BJ.

• Leon LaPorte
  8:52 pm on July 1st, 2011 32

  Overheard in a bar in Phuket, “Lips is lips.”

• Teadrinker
  9:23 pm on July 2nd, 2011 33

  “she’s the first transgendered model to be on a fashion magazine cover”

  In Korea? Maybe. In the world? Most certainly not.

• JoeC
  10:59 pm on July 2nd, 2011 34

  #32

  Overheard somewhere I won’t name, “He’d screw a pile of rocks if he thought there were a snake in there to give him some action.”

• Tom Langley
  1:11 am on July 3rd, 2011 35

  The Freak of the week.

• Retired GI
  5:00 am on July 3rd, 2011 36

  #31 ChickenHead, that’s more like it. Once you can get past the idea of a Tranny or ladyboy, if possible, it can be interesting to hear their logic when they try to pick you up.
  I was once walking the streets of Angeles with a guy from Canada. He saw this “tall” drink of water with lovely hair and decided to try and pick her up. He came back with her number of course and was quite proud of himself. Until I pointed out “her” lack of asss and height. He figured it out then.

• Tom Langley
  5:15 pm on July 3rd, 2011 37

  One time in San Francisco many years ago I was bar hopping (bar staggering to me more accurate). I went into one bar and was talking with a beautiful blonde who had a nice set of t!+s and legs. My rap was going just right. I said to myself that I was going to get some tonight. Anyway I looked down & saw a bulge in the britches. I looked around & saw men with men, and women with women. I said to myself “Oh $h!+, I just walked into a fag bar.” I was 21 at the time and was scared. I took the drink in my hand, wrapped my hand around it and slugged the freak. I’m positive that I broke his jaw and ran out of the bar and ran down the street. People like that need to be honest because if I had gone with it up to its room & then found out, well I guess this post would have been coming from prison.

• ChickenHead
  7:35 pm on July 3rd, 2011 38

  Tom L.,

  Awwww… don’t hit the poor tranny just trying to pick up a good time.

  Anyway, lots of military guys wind up with a tranny, both in Asia and America… and they never even know.

  After a lot of foreplay, the tranny says it is That Time of the Month.

  After some, “That’s cool. I don’t mind,” from the drunk and horny GI, and some token resistance from “her”, she suggests, maybe, he could do it from behind… and, of course, her junk is tucked and covered with a pad to keep prying hands away.

  The guy never knows.

• kushibo
  11:22 pm on July 3rd, 2011 39

  Tom Langley, ChickenHead, those problems and loads of others can all be avoided by not fu¢king people you just met. Just sayin’.

• Retired GI
  6:48 am on July 4th, 2011 40

  AND — even MORE problems can be avoided by not signing a legal and binding document “till death do us part” with individuals we think we love — at the moment. Divorce is a huge problem for 50% of those that sign on the line.

  I also agree with ChickenHead #38. She/He/It, was just trying to get a Nut, like everyone else in that Gay Bar. Someone was in the wrong place, and it wasn’t the Tranny.

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