Hong-Chi Shiaumaintain that despite their background as Christians, they associate with the most precious
Asian virtues: “One’s life should not be distracted with anything far from the notion of
brotherliness and righteousness.” Unlike many of their Western counterparts, who often
bluntly admitted that they were “not into books” as observed in the various testimonies of
David Beckham and Tom Cruise, the emphasis of educational attainment as the common
Asian Confucian values enable Korean celebrities to differentiate themselves from Western
counterparts. All the Korean celebrities complete undergraduate degrees at a minimum
with few exceptions, which might have happened earlier in the 1990s such as Jung Woo-sung
who actually dropped out of high school to pursue an acting career. However, for those
in their twenties and thirties, some even complete masters degrees. Moreover, turning the
deprecating stereotype of being nerdy on its head, the celebrities’ pursuit of higher educa-
tion confirms virtues of perseverance and endless humility accentuated in the Confucian
value system. Such virtues are easily transferrable to the Taiwanese men’s fashion scene.2 Inattentive to physical qualities despite possessing a nicely sculpted body
Through these celebrities, a palpably intensifying commodification of the body in
consumer–capitalist culture is giving subtle rise to newer concepts of corporeal self-
discipline. In Men’s UNO cover stories, visual imageries are structured in a specific way,
which is confirmed in the interview with the celebrity: they usually wear their own clothes
on the first two pages, then wear sponsored clothes in the following six to eight pages. The
first two pages, basically functioning as a story anchor, typically give the subjects freedom
regarding their clothes and probably also their poses and general look. This larger institu-
tional formula has allowed these Korean celebrities to present themselves more revealingly,
either through a muscular nude torso, or a tank top, or sometimes a ripped shirt.
Not content to just be a pretty face, the male celebrities also present what Sun Jung
(2011) refers to as “beast-like masculinity,” defined by sculpted muscular bodies with rock-
hard abdominal muscles. The manhood is at times further secured through performing
African-American R&B and hip-hop music in some extreme cases. Among the ten male
celebrities, Kwon Sang-Woo, Daniel Phillip Henney, Jung Yun Ho and Song Seung-heon
exposed their partially nude torsos, exposing well-oiled skin that was smooth and firm,
bulging pectorals, highly defined abdominal muscles, and chiseled arms. While such visual
imagery corroborates the fact that the celebrities possess an admirable physique, the textual
codes appearing in close proximity to the pictures, frequently present discourse to the effect
that the celebrities do not purposefully look like this. In fact, none of the celebrities fea-
tured admitted to training intensively to maintain their appearances. The text thus functions
as a backstage where these interviewed celebrities can truly be themselves, offering what
appears to be transparency on their makeover, and often contradicting what the images
themselves imply. Their life accounts monotonously indicate that their body physiques—
commonly referring to their chocolate abs—were gained through their advancement of
internal virtues (e.g. generosity, sympathy, and altruism) rather than through calculated and
artificial work performed in the gym with the help of professional trainers. Exercise was
simply one among their favorite hobbies, and the muscular six-pack torso, despite the
time working out apparently required for its upkeep, is presented as simply a byproduct
of nurturing oneself sufficiently well to be healthy and maintain the energy to work in a
demanding industry.
3 Successfully performing the breadwinner’s role despite various hardships
Another common theme across these Korean celebrities is the narrative that “things-did-not-
come-easy” despite their wealthy, glamorous, and seemingly perfect lives. These hardships