HMONG MEN ARE BEAUTIFUL
By Bao Vang, Hmong Today
Published Thursday, August 11, 2005
Look around a teenage girl’s room and you’ll find posters of Justin Timberlake and Brad Pitt. Come this fall, that same girl may have a Hmong male calendar hanging on her wall instead.
Through a collaboration with Bamboo Production, artists from the Twin Cities, and with the direction of Wa Yang, everyone can look forward to the first Hmong male calendar featuring six Hmong men in three facets: Traditional Hmong clothes, GQ suit and tie, and beach-wear.
“I want to show that Asian men and Hmong men are desirable and sexy,� says Wa of the calendar project, “besides, we’re not just computer geeks.�
Model Tou Vang agrees and wants to make a statement specifically for the Hmong women who have given up on Hmong men.
“Hmong women don’t look at Hmong men the same anymore,� says Tou. “It’s disappointing to see Hmong women with other races when Hmong men are just as hot.�
After 30 years in America, the first Hmong male calendar will be produced. Wa says “the community is ready and should not be ashamed of the slant of our chinky eyes, our yellow-toned skin or because some of us are vertically challenged. All misconceptions of Asian and Hmong men should be eliminated. It is time the community starts looking at the beauty of what we have, instead of focusing on what we don’t have.�
The men modeling in this new and daring calendar are
Yia Khang, 18
Chang Yang, 19;
Nee Vang, 19
Lor Thao, 23;
Tou Vang, 32 and
Teng Xiong, 33.
For mainstream America, some of them will always be a little too thin, too short or too yellow. However, for the Hmong community these men represent the future of young men and women.
“Mainstream America believes Hmong men are not hot,� says Wa. “But we do have what it takes.�
And what does it take to be a successful Hmong model in the Hmong community? Attend a photo shoot with any of these men and with each pose, strut and smile exudes confidence, self-assurance and beauty.
Photographer Shila Yang says he believes in the project because Hmong men seldom get recognition for being beautiful people. With pressure from the community to be successful, marry and continue the family name, it is time to show the beauty of Hmong men.
Beauty is found inside and out. Model Chang Yang, who is thin and 5’3, says anyone can model regardless of their physical features.
“It doesn’t matter what a person looks like,� says Chang. “It’s how you transform yourself in a picture.�
The calendar features these men transforming their images in three different outfits. They go from their regular daily Hmong –American image into the traditional look of Hmong men in Laos and Thailand to a more modern classy GQ look to a bare-chested sexy look. The calendar offers a wide variety to strike all types of Hmong women’s taste.
However, all the models seem to agree that this calendar isn’t just for Hmong women, but for the entire community. And like their versatility in images and style, each model has their own objective for being a part of the calendar.
Model Teng Xiong feels that each person in the Hmong community should be happy with their own image of beauty and should not to fall into what the mainstream says beauty is. Xiong goes on to say that the calendar, “should send out a message that we should be proud of ourselves, the Hmong people.�
Whereas, model Nee Vang, who studies Health and Exercise Science at Globe College, has a very specific idea about modeling. Vang says, “Modeling is about health and your body. It will encourage people to stay fit.�
Yia Khang, who moved to the Twin Cities after graduating from high school in Wisconsin Rapids, would like to pursue higher education, but would like to continue modeling as a job to help pay for college. Khang feels that, “The calendar will provide more opportunities for guys and girls and more opportunities for me, too.�
While Yia is looking for a college, model Lor Thao is already enrolled in college courses, pursuing a career in Optometry. Lor believes the younger people will be impressed because they will identify themselves with the models. He feels those who want to represent the Hmong community should act as role models to the younger generation.
“I want to be a role model,� says Lor. “I want to show everyone that they can do anything they want to do.�
If these six Hmong men can truly believe that others can do anything they want to do, one question remains: Can these six Hmong men make it as models?
“We just have to wait and see how people react,� says Nee.
The first of four calendars featuring the Hmong men will come out this fall, released first at the Green Bay New Year. While the wait for acknowledgment in the Hmong community continues, Wa Yang says the beauty of Hmong men is no longer a secret.
“You’ll never look at Hmong men the same again.�
credit to: hmongtoday
so what do you girls think? huh?
By Bao Vang, Hmong Today
Published Thursday, August 11, 2005
Look around a teenage girl’s room and you’ll find posters of Justin Timberlake and Brad Pitt. Come this fall, that same girl may have a Hmong male calendar hanging on her wall instead.
Through a collaboration with Bamboo Production, artists from the Twin Cities, and with the direction of Wa Yang, everyone can look forward to the first Hmong male calendar featuring six Hmong men in three facets: Traditional Hmong clothes, GQ suit and tie, and beach-wear.
“I want to show that Asian men and Hmong men are desirable and sexy,� says Wa of the calendar project, “besides, we’re not just computer geeks.�
Model Tou Vang agrees and wants to make a statement specifically for the Hmong women who have given up on Hmong men.
“Hmong women don’t look at Hmong men the same anymore,� says Tou. “It’s disappointing to see Hmong women with other races when Hmong men are just as hot.�
After 30 years in America, the first Hmong male calendar will be produced. Wa says “the community is ready and should not be ashamed of the slant of our chinky eyes, our yellow-toned skin or because some of us are vertically challenged. All misconceptions of Asian and Hmong men should be eliminated. It is time the community starts looking at the beauty of what we have, instead of focusing on what we don’t have.�
The men modeling in this new and daring calendar are
For mainstream America, some of them will always be a little too thin, too short or too yellow. However, for the Hmong community these men represent the future of young men and women.
“Mainstream America believes Hmong men are not hot,� says Wa. “But we do have what it takes.�
And what does it take to be a successful Hmong model in the Hmong community? Attend a photo shoot with any of these men and with each pose, strut and smile exudes confidence, self-assurance and beauty.
Photographer Shila Yang says he believes in the project because Hmong men seldom get recognition for being beautiful people. With pressure from the community to be successful, marry and continue the family name, it is time to show the beauty of Hmong men.
Beauty is found inside and out. Model Chang Yang, who is thin and 5’3, says anyone can model regardless of their physical features.
“It doesn’t matter what a person looks like,� says Chang. “It’s how you transform yourself in a picture.�
The calendar features these men transforming their images in three different outfits. They go from their regular daily Hmong –American image into the traditional look of Hmong men in Laos and Thailand to a more modern classy GQ look to a bare-chested sexy look. The calendar offers a wide variety to strike all types of Hmong women’s taste.
However, all the models seem to agree that this calendar isn’t just for Hmong women, but for the entire community. And like their versatility in images and style, each model has their own objective for being a part of the calendar.
Model Teng Xiong feels that each person in the Hmong community should be happy with their own image of beauty and should not to fall into what the mainstream says beauty is. Xiong goes on to say that the calendar, “should send out a message that we should be proud of ourselves, the Hmong people.�
Whereas, model Nee Vang, who studies Health and Exercise Science at Globe College, has a very specific idea about modeling. Vang says, “Modeling is about health and your body. It will encourage people to stay fit.�
Yia Khang, who moved to the Twin Cities after graduating from high school in Wisconsin Rapids, would like to pursue higher education, but would like to continue modeling as a job to help pay for college. Khang feels that, “The calendar will provide more opportunities for guys and girls and more opportunities for me, too.�
While Yia is looking for a college, model Lor Thao is already enrolled in college courses, pursuing a career in Optometry. Lor believes the younger people will be impressed because they will identify themselves with the models. He feels those who want to represent the Hmong community should act as role models to the younger generation.
“I want to be a role model,� says Lor. “I want to show everyone that they can do anything they want to do.�
If these six Hmong men can truly believe that others can do anything they want to do, one question remains: Can these six Hmong men make it as models?
“We just have to wait and see how people react,� says Nee.
The first of four calendars featuring the Hmong men will come out this fall, released first at the Green Bay New Year. While the wait for acknowledgment in the Hmong community continues, Wa Yang says the beauty of Hmong men is no longer a secret.
“You’ll never look at Hmong men the same again.�
credit to: hmongtoday
so what do you girls think? huh?
