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Yes kids, I broke a news story in English before, it seems, anyone else on the web!
Below is the #2 person, with more info.
Let's please keep this thread on topic, okay? Not that I don't appreciate the photos posted to the first thread, but it begins to muddy the topic.
Remember, I share because I love you all.
And I especially love anyone who shares post-ops or their pics.
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE....015.asp
Transgender music group set to debut
When transgender star Harisu released her first album, "Temptation," in 2001, it was quite tempting to brush it aside as a fleeting novelty. But not anymore. She sealed a slew of lucrative deals for TV commercials, even appearing as a model for women's underwear.
The new power of transgender sex appeal in the formerly conservative entertainment industry led three men to follow a similar path of transformation as Harisu. But now it is hard to pinpoint their male origins.
The country's first transgender music group "Lady" is set to release their first album, and its members - Shinae, Sahara and Binu - look feminine and sexy.
The trio is already attracting strong media coverage, even though they haven't officially launched their singing and dancing career, the entertainment is abuzz with their commercial potential.
The attention Lady can be attributed to the pioneering role of Harisu, as her boldness in carving out a place for transsexuals was successful.
Shinae, 29, Sahara, 25 and Binu, 22, however, do not want to be linked to Harisu too much. They competed with other contenders in the audition to be chosen as the members of the dance music group, as part of the intricate marketing and planning by the agency involved.
Shinae is not a new face in the entertainment circles. She appeared on a TV commercial with a leading female dance group, and played a part for a music video made by Cho PD.
The only notable change is that she is now publicly confirming her gender, expressing her wish to "be true to myself."
Sahara, the second-youngest in the group, won a beauty pageant award held in Thailand in 2003, and was recruited as a model for a famous jean brand for her outstanding beauty.
Binu, meanwhile, has so far concealed that she is transgender for fear of discrimination in a society that has conservative values.
Binu's decision to shed her fears and jump into the entertainment world came as she met with other group members and was encouraged, she said.
A changed perception of transsexuals also helped. With the debut of Harisu, a number of media reports explored the problems like discrimination and prejudice against transsexuals in Korea, helping the public get a fairer perspective about the minority group.
Although some Internet users still splash hostile comments, it is a drastically different - and friendlier - world for transsexuals who used to hide their gender orientation most of their life.
Shinae, Sahara and Binu got sex-change operations in Thailand in 2003, 2001 and 2004, respectively. Their family members also accepted their new gender. A group of fans already set up a Web site specializing in photos, news articles and comments about Lady, and media reports are largely favorable.
But some observers caution that their long-term popularity will depend on whether they deliver quality music. In recent months, a growing number of female singers have chosen to accentuate their sex appeal in a bid to jazz up their image and boost album sales.
Baek Han-jin, for instance, describes herself as Korea's first erotic singer, three-member dance group Muse sparked greater publicity by disclosing their nude photos and some female singers appear in music videos with their sexually suggestive moves testing the limit of public acceptance.
Local entertainment news service provider "This Week" said, "Some female singers have drawn pubic attention by stressing their sex appeal, but it is anybody's guess whether they have real talent to become singers."
But for now, Lady's members do not have enough time to mind such cautionary comments. They wake up at six in the morning and start their tight schedule packed with dance practice, yoga, health training and media interviews in preparation for their formal debut as female singers.
([email protected])
By Yang Sung-jin
2005.03.05
Below is the #2 person, with more info.
Let's please keep this thread on topic, okay? Not that I don't appreciate the photos posted to the first thread, but it begins to muddy the topic.
Remember, I share because I love you all.
And I especially love anyone who shares post-ops or their pics. http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE....015.asp
Transgender music group set to debut
When transgender star Harisu released her first album, "Temptation," in 2001, it was quite tempting to brush it aside as a fleeting novelty. But not anymore. She sealed a slew of lucrative deals for TV commercials, even appearing as a model for women's underwear.
The new power of transgender sex appeal in the formerly conservative entertainment industry led three men to follow a similar path of transformation as Harisu. But now it is hard to pinpoint their male origins.
The country's first transgender music group "Lady" is set to release their first album, and its members - Shinae, Sahara and Binu - look feminine and sexy.
The trio is already attracting strong media coverage, even though they haven't officially launched their singing and dancing career, the entertainment is abuzz with their commercial potential.
The attention Lady can be attributed to the pioneering role of Harisu, as her boldness in carving out a place for transsexuals was successful.
Shinae, 29, Sahara, 25 and Binu, 22, however, do not want to be linked to Harisu too much. They competed with other contenders in the audition to be chosen as the members of the dance music group, as part of the intricate marketing and planning by the agency involved.
Shinae is not a new face in the entertainment circles. She appeared on a TV commercial with a leading female dance group, and played a part for a music video made by Cho PD.
The only notable change is that she is now publicly confirming her gender, expressing her wish to "be true to myself."
Sahara, the second-youngest in the group, won a beauty pageant award held in Thailand in 2003, and was recruited as a model for a famous jean brand for her outstanding beauty.
Binu, meanwhile, has so far concealed that she is transgender for fear of discrimination in a society that has conservative values.
Binu's decision to shed her fears and jump into the entertainment world came as she met with other group members and was encouraged, she said.
A changed perception of transsexuals also helped. With the debut of Harisu, a number of media reports explored the problems like discrimination and prejudice against transsexuals in Korea, helping the public get a fairer perspective about the minority group.
Although some Internet users still splash hostile comments, it is a drastically different - and friendlier - world for transsexuals who used to hide their gender orientation most of their life.
Shinae, Sahara and Binu got sex-change operations in Thailand in 2003, 2001 and 2004, respectively. Their family members also accepted their new gender. A group of fans already set up a Web site specializing in photos, news articles and comments about Lady, and media reports are largely favorable.
But some observers caution that their long-term popularity will depend on whether they deliver quality music. In recent months, a growing number of female singers have chosen to accentuate their sex appeal in a bid to jazz up their image and boost album sales.
Baek Han-jin, for instance, describes herself as Korea's first erotic singer, three-member dance group Muse sparked greater publicity by disclosing their nude photos and some female singers appear in music videos with their sexually suggestive moves testing the limit of public acceptance.
Local entertainment news service provider "This Week" said, "Some female singers have drawn pubic attention by stressing their sex appeal, but it is anybody's guess whether they have real talent to become singers."
But for now, Lady's members do not have enough time to mind such cautionary comments. They wake up at six in the morning and start their tight schedule packed with dance practice, yoga, health training and media interviews in preparation for their formal debut as female singers.
([email protected])
By Yang Sung-jin
2005.03.05
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