Maxim is a well-known men’s magazine brand that has become famously known for its photographs of beautiful and prominent women figures. And while the magazine was originally founded and launched in the United Kingdom back in 1997, it has become an international men’s magazine, where 22 other countries around the world have since launched their own editions.
Amongst the 22 countries is South Korea. Maxim Korea has been in business and printing out magazines for the past two decades. During its impressive 20-year course, the men’s magazine featured some of Korea’s top stars on its covers. And while the magazine may be used to making headlines for its risqué photoshoots, Maxim Korea recently made headlines for something a little different.
Plus-size model Ssun Biki is the featured model on the upcoming August edition for Maxim Korea and she is garnering heavy interest for what the magazine calls her “natural size.” Showing off a more glamorous figure than what Maxim Korea has featured on their covers before, Ssun Biki is breaking the South Korean norm of what a model “is supposed to” look like.
The gorgeous model was hand selected to be on the August issue of the magazine through Maxim Korea’s “Natural Size Model Contest.” On June 30, Maxim Korea‘s first ever plus-size model contest went underway with the grand prize of ₩10.0 million KRW (about $8,680 USD). The only qualification of the contest was that it was open to women who are a size 66 (US large, size 12) and up.
The contest did not discriminate against height, weight, age, nationality, and whether or not the woman had previous modeling experience — just as long as the women were a size 66 and up. After 6 months, Maxim Korea was able to narrow it down to 23 finalists, who competed on June 30 for the grand prize, as well as the highly coveted front cover of the men’s magazine.
Ssun Biki was ultimately crowned the winner and she went on to became the first ever plus-size model to grace the cover of Maxim Korea in the magazine’s 20 year long run.
Here is another Maxim Korea cover featuring Ssun Biki, who stuns in a gold bathing suit that contrasts against the dark background of the magazine.
In regards to her victory, as well as her cover on the men’s magazine, Ssun Biki stated that it is a “happy and grateful occasion that someone who isn’t skinny like [herself] could become a model.”
Ssun Biki’s Maxim Korea covers have been receiving a hugely positive response from the public, to which a Maxim Korea representative shared that while they “expected an explosive response to some extent, [they] didn’t expect it to be of this measure.”
Not much is known about Ssun Biki, but we get a feeling that that will all change following her historic Maxim Korea covers. Congratulations to Ssun Biki on her victory and we hope to see more of her in the future!
