She isn’t the “standard”.
Koreaboo
3 minutes ago
Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, but one gorgeous Single’s Inferno star’s beauty worked against her.
Kang So Yeon | @kangsoyeon__/Instagram
Kang So Yeon, one of the original Single’s Inferno cast members, is an athlete, a boxing gym owner, a former idol, and a woman who knows exactly how detrimental beauty standards can be. She started exercising from a young age, having been born into an athletic family. Her father, sister, and brother are all athletes.
| @kangsoyeon__/Instagram
As such, her family fueled their bodies with large, protein-heavy meals, even for breakfast. In her mother’s mind, eating right was more important than being on time for school.
“I guess that’s what helped me physically,” she said, “But because of that, I struggled a lot to be an actress in Korea because I didn’t have that ideal body type for Koreans. I was always told before the casting that I’m too tall and my body is too big for this role.”
| MAXIM Korea
So Yeon has faced her share of closed doors (as an actress and an idol), but new ones have opened, thanks to her time on Single’s Inferno.
| Mega Asia
Rather than changing herself to fit the ideal beauty standards, So Yeon is building a career on her own terms. Since Single’s Inferno, she has been offered advertisement work that matches her image.
| Mega Asia
Since leaving the show, So Yeon has appeared in multiple promotional images for cosmetic brands, and she’s living life to the fullest.