Harper’s Bazaar: Lately, it seems Girls’ Generation’s members have suddenly matured. Of the members, it also seems interest in you has increased. I feel like people might have been telling you that you’ve gotten prettier.
Sooyoung: I’ve been hearing that I’ve gotten more girly than before. My chubby cheeks went away as I lost weight on my face, and my facial line has become sleek. Not only my looks, but actually the time to seem like an innocent girl all the time has passed. It’s not necessarily a problem with age, but I think past experiences and preferences are what changed it all, little by little.
Harper’s Bazaar: Even if you didn’t have a job where you stand in front of people, aren’t you at the age where you’re immersed in making up your appearance?
Sooyoung: I liked trying on clothes since I was little. My mom also liked dressing me up in pretty clothes. If there was a brand that I liked, I would occasionally take the lookbook and ask where I could buy certain clothes. I think I naturally became familiar with it (translator’s note: she is referring to fashion) from then on. So people joke, asking if I have to move because my closet is too small. Anyway, it is true that a current enjoyment is encountering various styles in fashion.
Harper’s Bazaar: I think that’s why the interest in your personal tastes outside the stage, like airport fashion, is increasing. Of them, which is a style that says it’s most ‘like Sooyoung’?
Sooyoung: A comfortable yet feminine style? I like casual looks that aren’t too plain. For example, wearing comfortable leggings and a t-shirt with a mouton on? I don’t like wearing tight jeans and kill heels that just look uncomfortable. I like Isabel Marant’s clothes, and they’re feminine enough without being too tight or uncomfortable when you wear them. They’re easy to mix and match too, so you could wear them often. Because I think they express me well, I find personal interest in not just the clothing, but the designer as well.
Harper’s Bazaar: You’ve hardened your position as a fashionista by attending the Burberry event a few months ago and by being invited as a muse to Isabel Marant’s flagship store opening.
Sooyoung: The term ‘fashionista’ still doesn’t sink in. It doesn’t seem like I’m all that ‘hot’ either. Still, I pay some extra attention on days before I have to go to the airport or formal meetings. I think about how I could dress more like me.
Harper’s Bazaar: Is there a muse that influences your style?
Sooyoung: I like Sienna Miller and Kate Moss; it’s one of the two.
Harper’s Bazaar: One reason to welcome 2013 is because of news of Girls’ Generation’s new album release. What is the secret weapon that the girls will bring?
Sooyoung: The next album is really going to be something new. Because we were thinking of testing the limits with the genre and music color. When we first heard the song and saw the choreography, we had doubts as to whether or not we could do it. It’s a dance we’ve never danced before, so it could be something the person doing it would fear. It could also be a new attempt for the company, but my heart also beats that much more. Of course, the people listening could split into either like or dislike. But you can only stick to the same style for so long. What I know for sure is that it will have broken free of the prediction of ‘Girls’ Generation will be like this.’
Harper’s Bazaar: I think girl groups are busier than the king. World tours, interviews, CF shoots, you have to wear heels while dancing, and you also have individual schedules on top of that. It seems like it’s something you do at a young age when you have good physical health. Is there any moment where you felt you reached your physical limit?
Sooyoung: Of course there are times where I’m exhausted. The consumption of energy becomes greater especially when overseas activities start. My members and I each have our own ways of taking care of our health. It’s all a little different, from Seohyun avoiding instant foods, to me considering stress relief more important than self-moderation. I think I’m more devoted to right now than the future. Even if I have to work the next day, if I want to have a drink today, I’ll have a drink. While I do worry about how I’ll endure next year’s album promotion schedules, I think, ‘When else would I do this, other than when I’m young?’ I also recharge my energy with mind control, telling myself, ‘When I look back, there should be a day where I long for these fans or this situation, right?’ I want to enjoy now and hold onto everything I want to, so I don’t regret any opportunities I miss.
Harper’s Bazaar: Is your maintaining a slim body at a tall height innate?
Sooyoung: It’s not that I don’t gain weight even when I eat, but that when I eat well and don’t eat is well-defined. When my mind is on something in a nervous situation, or if I’m concentrating on work, I lose my appetite completely. When I was shooting the drama, I kept getting psychological gastritis and enteritis. Then, when I feel at ease, I’ll eat well. And because my cheeks fatten up most, when I have a lot of things to shoot, I control it intentionally. I’ve been thinking that I need to gain some weight these days. I felt that it would be good to have a bit of flexibility again, so I started pilates.
Harper’s Bazaar: Is there not any competition with looks amongst the girls of Girls’ Generation?
Sooyoung: Rather than calling it competition, it’s more like sharing methods? Everyone’s methods of self-care are different. There are all sorts of people, from ones who consistently go and receive treatment on scheduled days, to ones who only step into the dermatologist’s office when a blemish surfaces. I’m more like the latter.
Harper’s Bazaar: Now the nine girls are putting their own names forth (translator’s note: as individuals), rather than ‘Girls’ Generation’, building up a different career. It seemed a bit late compared to other members, but the reactions to your acting were positive.
Sooyoung: People who aren’t well aware think that, because girls around the same age are gathered together, there will be keen competitions and jealousy between us. But knowing that there are eight other people who share the same situations, feelings, and worries actually becomes something for each of us to greatly rely on. Thanks to the polished achievements made by the other members in front, there are also instances where things are easier. On the other hand, because my individual self and the group is regarded in the same light, my mistake could cause affect others. So you get put under more pressure and gain responsibilities. Like, as if you have kids you left at home?
Harper’s Bazaar: What kind of processes did you have to go through to rely on each other like this? Even sisters, who are family, fight.
Sooyoung: I feel that it’s also important to sometimes bring out words that you’ve kept inside. The moment they surface, the results really change. It’s better when you personally tell them good things and the moment you talk out any worries or things that made you feel sad, it becomes nothing. To the point where it makes the time you spent worrying seem pointless. When we went to perform overseas, we all stayed in one accommodation and, if it’s someone’s birthday, we gather together and talk a lot. We try to be as honest as possible, and thanks to that, we gained a habit of observing the other person more.
Harper’s Bazaar: What kind of road do you want to go down when you’re no longer a girl and not a Girls’ Generation member?
Sooyoung: I started activities when I was 17 years old, but it turns out the average age in Girls’ Generation is 22 now. I think it’s the age where you get nervous, thinking of wanting to do better. We have to worry about what kind of music we should attempt and it’s a time where we can’t just make pretty faces, which is why there were a lot more worries with this album… The area that I could do best in and enjoy after Girls’ Generation promotions is acting. I want to keep attempting it. I also want to be like a talk show host or radio DJ and be in a space where I can listen to people’s honest talks.
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