흠. 김소연이 부산영화제에서 입었던 드레스가 논쟁이 되고 있어요.‘지나치게’노출했다고 네티진들이 막 얘기하는 건데 난 동의할 수 없어요.

잘 생각해보면 요새 유행하는 어깨와 가슴선을 모두 드러내는 드레스가 가장 노출이 심하지 않나요? 제가 보기엔Emanuel Ungaro이란 유명한 디자이너의 옷을 김소연이 고급스럽게 잘 소화했다고 보이는데요. 이런게 왜 논쟁의 대상이 되는거죠?

밑의 사진을 보면서 직접 비교해보세요:

Apparently, Kim So-yeon’s dress, designed by Emanuel Ungaro, which she wore at the Pusan International Film Festival is causing controversy among netizens.

This is somewhat surprising, since not only is the dress not actually more revealing than many shoulder-less designs presently in play on Korean stars, but is something straight off a runway, done by a respected and talented Western designer. This is controversial?

Here’s a direct comparison:

근데 MNet의 행사에 민효린의 거의 자기 생식기관을 못 가리고 입었던 드레스가 하나도 논쟁적지 않았더라? 2인치 더 높이 만들었으면 한국의 최초 공적 산부인과검사가 될 수 있었겠다. ㅋㅋㅋ 휴. 진짜. 네티진들.

Yet this, worn by Min Hyo-rin to a big MNet show, is OK, although it barely covers her reproductive organs. Two inches higher, and the nation’s citizens would have been privy to the first public gynecological examination on record in Korean history. At least So-yeon is only displaying her secondary sex characteristics, as opposed to her primary ones.

솔직히 누가 더 노출이 심한가요? 보통 일반적인 미국인의 경우 하체를 노출하는게 더 심하다고 생각하죠. 나도 그렇게 생각해요. 한국인들은 상체를 노출하는 것에 더 많이 신경을 쓰는 거구요, 한국처럼 추운 겨울에도 미니스커트를 입는 나라는 사실 거의 없어요. ㅋㅋㅋ

소연은 배꼽 노출 한 것도 아닌데 별로 심한 것도 아니예요. 그리고 가슴이 다 들여다보이는 것도 아니고 옆의 허리선이 조금 노출이 되었는데 뭘 그렇게 난리예요? 민효린 같은 모습이 훨씬 더 쇼킹해요.

소연은 적어도 싸보이지않고 우아한 거잖아! 흥! ㅋㅋ

Seriously – is this really risqué? Maybe I’m just looking at it from an American perspective, which I think tends to be more conservative when it comes to showing leg than in Korea. And in Korea, people tend to worry about exposing the upper body a lot, such as with exposed shoulders, which could get you in trouble as recently as 5-7 years ago, or having a pierced belly button, which only “bad girls” did as recently as circa 2003, but now is par for the course.

Perhaps it’s no surprise that Korea seems to be the only country I know of in which it’s nearly as common to see miniskirts in the deepest cold of winter as it is in the summer. In a fashion culture that actually has fur-lined panties for keeping warm for miniskirt wear in the winter, is a slightly exposed midriff (not even to the belly button!) and vertically-exposed boobies – instead of across the top – really that shocking?

“Fabulous Fashionistas” 컬럼에서는 서울의 뛰어난 멋쟁이들을 소개해 드립니다. 여기서 “멋“이란 어떠한 유행을 의미하는 것이나 비싼 명품 아이템을 자랑스럽게 가지고 있는 것을 의미하는 것이 아닙니다. 자기 자신의 패션 스타일을 특별히 잘 보여주는 사람, 창조적인 코디로 눈에 확 띄는 사람, 그런 분들을 이 컬럼에서 만나보실 수 있습니다.

In the Fabulous Fashionistas column, we shoot the most fashionably original people we can find on the streets of Seoul and bring them to you. We don’t choose them because they follow the trends the most closely, nor because they have the most designers labels attached to their bodies, but because they’ve managed to create their own unique style that one can’t simply pass by without wanting to remember.

우리 홍대에 갔는데 진짜 특이한 ‘홍대스러운’ 패션 리더들 찾고 있었어요. 몇 명 찍었는데 갑자기 무슨 런웨이에 내려오는 패션모델처럼 빤짝빤짝 눈에 띈 여자가 지내가고 있는 게예요. 띄어서 말을 걸으러 갔는데 그리고 가지고 왔던 명함들이 다 떨어졌는데도 말을 걸었더니 우리를 바라보고, “아. 사진요? 네, 찍어요!” 재밌게 장난으로 먼저 대답하신 거예요, 우리 묻기 전에. 센스 좀 많이 있는 사람이 같아요.

We were walking through Hongdae looking for something a bit different when we saw a woman clearing a path through the crowds, turning every head that she passed. She was risqué as all heck, but she seemed to be enjoying the attention immensely. When we went to stop her and ask her for a picture, we had barely finished the “Excuse me…” before she had looked us up and down, saw the equipment we had, and interrupted our pitch with, “Oh, you want to take pictures. Go ahead.” She was already two steps ahead of us.

근데 얘기해보니까 우리 킬러핑크 친구가 패션디자이너이 거예요! 요새 그만뒀는데 자기 옷 브랜드를 준비하고 있대요. 역시! 물론 자기 옷도 만드는데 그 날은 본인이 좋아하시는 일본 수입품 옷 웹사이트(lizlisaray.com)의 미니드레스를 입고 있었던 거예요. 분명히 핫핑크를 좋아하시는 분이죠.

It turns out that Killer Pink is a fashion designer who has just quit her job and is getting ready to start her own clothing label, and just happens to love hot pink, as you can see. She makes her own clothes, although what you see here is both off the rack and what she got from a Japanese import site lizlisaray.com. Smokin’ stuff on that site!

근데 신기한 건 그녀의 모든 핑크 액세서리들이 다 똑같은 쌕감 – 똑같은 핫핑크이란 말이야. 같이 세트으로 나온 것같은데 아니래요. 하도 핫핑크 액세서리들이 많아서 정확하게 색깔 딱 어울리는 아이템들이 많다고 그랬어요. 대단하시네, 언니! ㅋㅋ

What fascinated us was the fact that her items, which she said she bought all separately, was so well matched. Even hot pink has different shades, but her accessories look like they were made for each other.

뭐라고해도…자기 스타일아니라고 해도 (난 개인적으로 너무 좋아하는데!) 인정해야 하는게 아주 오리지널한 여성이잖아요. 많은 다른 여자들이 – 한국이든 미국이든 – 그런 베이비돌 드레스를 입을 자신이 없는 사람들이 얼마나 많이 있겠는가? 아무리 몸짱이라도? 서울에서는 진짜 인터레스팅 패션 리더들이 아주 많아졌네요…10년전보다…진짜 대단해!

Truly pink from head to toe. And that babydoll dress – not many women in Korea (or anywhere) have the massive self-confidence required to walk past one’s doorstep in that. There’s no hiding anything with in that dress – and be careful sitting down; you might be breaking the law in some American states!

Can dresses get any shorter? According to this picture from Osen, I don’t think so:

‘Mnet 20’s Choice’행사가 21일 서울 광장동 쉐라톤 그랜드 워커힐에서 열렸다. 민효린이 초 미니스커트를 입고 블루카펫을 밟고 있다.

와우. 초미니는 더이상 짧아질 수 없겠죠? 왜냐하면 더 짧아지면은…음…그냥 19세미만 콘텐츠가 될 거잖아요. ㅋㅋ 요새는 효린이 너무 짧게 나오는데…진짜 덥나바요. 지난 주에:

The infamous “Designer Nose” Min Hyo-rin in Star News, last week:

그리고 이번 주도 시원하게 노오고 싶어했나봐요:

From Joy News and MyDaily, respectively, this week:

And from Newsen, which has all the best pictures:

음. 효린씨. 물론 스포츠신문을 ㅂ면서 침을 막 내리고 있는 다른 남자처럼 ‘각선미’ 뭐 그런 걸 좋아하는데…음…조금 바랑스가…음…조금 짧은 편아닌가? 사실 어떤 얌전한 한국식 비키니보다 노출하는 것같은데. 안그넌가요? 근데 신발은 진짜 이쁜데. clutch가방도 갖고 싶은데. ㅋㅋ

OK, girlfriend. Let’s get real. It’s just a little too short, isn’t it? Just a tad? I mean, I technically like those two mini-dresses, and even love your little clutch bag in the second set (although the shoes are blah, but not a major crime); but seriously? Aren’t you worried? Sitting down must require great skill and concentration, and you certainly can’t walk up stairs. And if the wind blew too hard – the world might be able to find out whether you wax or not; and I doubt you’d want that.

I mean, I guess one technically shows more skin wearing a bikini – but no one shows up to big events wearing a bikini. And the irony is that Korean-style “modest” bikinis actually cover up more than your dress does. Now, that’s a scary thing.

[From hoonyuni.com]

Are you going to the beach, Hyo-rin? ㅋㅋㅋ

A little less ass can mean a lot more class – a good motto and fashion rule of thumb for when you start getting close to exposing your Secret of Joy to the world.

하하하. 조선.컴에 나온 기사:

배우 김태희와 닮은 외모로 유명한 고등학생 ‘남태희(남자 김태희)’가 휴대전화 광고모델로 등장했다…

‘남태희‘는 배우 김태희와 닮은꼴 외모의 사진으로 얼마전 인터넷 포털사이트에서 화제가 된 고등학생이다. ‘남태희‘는 지난해 경남 거제고 축제 여장남자 경연대회에 출전해 2등을 한 거제고 2학년 학생이다. 광고와 관련해 실명은 본인이 공개를 원치 않고 있는 것으로 알려졌다…

네티즌들은 “정말 여자인 줄 알았다” “가발 안 쓴 게 더 예쁘다“는 등 다양한 의견을 내놓으며 하이힐에 미니스커트를 입고 뒷모습을 보이며 춤을 추는 남태희에게 ‘뒤태녀‘라는 또 다른 별명을 붙이기도 했다. [더 읽으세요!]

For you English speakers out there, let me just say that you should watch the video first, before continuing on down with this text.

According to Chosun.com, LG pulled an interesting fast one on Netizens with its supposed rollout of a new commercial to feature lithe and lovely Kim Tae Hee promoting its new line of multi-colored phones; but when the commercial rolled out across across “UCC” (YouTube-like sites) channels and people watched the first video, they were greeted with a surprise of Austin Powerian proportions: “It’s a man, man!”

Actually, a male model still in high school, who bears a striking resemblance to Kim Tae Hee, who is, as you might know, not a man, man. Very funny stuff. And a bit confusing.

Er…umm…not that confusing, but…umm…

Is it weird that I think the impersonator is cuter than the original? Now, I’m really confused…

참. 그래서 street photographer로 계속 애를 쓰면서 힘들게 사는 건 할만하다. 사실 밑에 사진에서 여자 때문에만 재밌는 거아니고 오른쪽에 아저씨가 깜짝 놀래면서 순간적으로 보는 건 재밌는 거죠. 완벽한 작품아니라도 (아저씨 다 안 나오고 맨 윈쪽에 있는 남자가 프레임에서 안 나왔으면 좋았을텐데) 그래도 볼만 하죠? 땡큐! ㅋㅋ

It’s pictures like this that make street photo worth doing, as hard as it is to make ends meet as a job. The picture above is interesting not so much because of the girl, but because of the ajussi to the right who was a bit startled to look up at this pretty risque woman walking by, and is caught looking at just the right moment. Technically, it’s not one of my strongest images (I wish I had caught all of the ajussi’s body, and it would have been nice if the man to the left hadn’t been there), but one worth looking at.