MODELS TO KNOW: SAE-YOUNG BAK
SAE-YOUNG BAK
Sae-Young is a Korean-American model and content creator currently based in the NYC/NJ area. Being raised in a traditional Korean immigrant household made it difficult for Sae-Young to find her own voice and build confidence in being her most authentic self. After years of struggling with her self-esteem and burning out from toxic jobs, Sae-Young made a commitment to dedicate herself to self-discovery, activating her dreams, and taking back control of her life. She uses her massive platform (50k+ on TikTok @GenerationSae) to inspire people to love their bodies and chase their dreams unapologetically.
SHEER: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
SAE-YOUNG BAK: I’m a plus-size model in NYC/NJ and body empowerment content creator on TikTok! I grew up in a traditional Korean immigrant household in the suburbs of New Jersey. This was part of my journey in “chapter 1”, (as I like to call it) and I lived almost like a bird trapped in a cage. Like many people of immigrant households, I was unable to express myself at all and felt bound to my cultural standards.
SHEER: How would you say your childhood and cultural upbringing impacted your path to becoming a creative and model?
SYB: Imagination was totally my thing! I grew up alone since my parents were always working, and coming from a strict Asian household, I wasn’t allowed to speak unless I was spoken to. So I was in my head a lot, and as you can imagine I spent a lot of time imagining, daydreaming, and envisioning adventurous scenarios and “what if” situations. This is truly my secret sauce to creating on TikTok or any social media platform.
In terms of modeling, I would always imagine myself being on America’s Next Top Model but knew that it could never happen due to my ethnicity and culture. But when my intuition told me to apply to agencies in 2021, I was signed within a week. It was meant to be!
SHEER: Tell us a bit more about the meaning behind your name and how it connects with your purpose and values?
SYB: In the olden days in Korea, your name has a parable attached to it. I think it was my grandfather who named me Sae-Young. Sae means bird in Korean. There are two parables attached to my name which is: 1. Narra ga neun sae - which means, a bird that flies. And 2. Sae-ruheun narra - meaning a new generation. Or a new nation/world.
In April 2021, when I decided to create my new IG account and re-birth my entire life, all I knew was that I wanted to inspire people and be the change I want to see in all generations now, and to come.
I’ve always identified with the Phoenix that rises from the ashes, but now I wanted to inspire a generation to do that too… so naturally I channeled Generation Sae (:
SHEER: What was the greatest risk you took on your creative journey and how do you approach overcoming your fears?
It was definitely when I quit my comfy 9-5 job without a back up plan. Last June (2021), I made a decision to quit my job with just $4,000 left in my bank account, no credit card usage left, and bills and student loans to pay.
But it had to be done. I was done living life through other people’s standards, and I knew that if I wanted to live a life wilder than my wildest dreams, I’d have to do it now. I had no idea I wanted to be a model. All I had was $4k, a parable username, and an idea to maybe start a YouTube channel.
I made a vow to myself that for the next 12 months, I would live as authentically me as possible and I would make a living off of it. That any and every opportunity would be divinely guided to me just because I was becoming a better version of myself physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. It was crazy uncomfortable… and there were moments I was left with only $100 where I doubted and questioned everything I had done..but staying the same and living for other people was far more painful. And for those who are curious as to what happened during my 12 month experiment - I hit my first $10k month!
The affirmation I used to overcome my fears is: My faith is greater than my fears.
That my success is inevitable and I do not question my success. We are all creating our realities every single moment. You just have to be bold enough to call the shots and declare what you stand for.
“Imagination was totally my thing! I grew up alone since my parents were always working, and coming from a strict Asian household, I wasn’t allowed to speak unless I was spoken to. So I was in my head a lot, and as you can imagine I spent a lot of time imagining, daydreaming, and envisioning adventurous scenarios and “what if” situations. This is truly my secret sauce to creating on TikTok or any social media platform. ”
SHEER: What does self-care mean to you and how do you embrace this in your life?
SYB: Self-care is the epitome of my journey and success. I’ve worked since I was 14 when I started at a Chinese take-out place, and all throughout college and my early 20’s, I held 2-3 jobs or internships at a time. I was always hungry for experience or money so I could be independent and this was the time where hustle culture was as popular as “that girl”. Until I totally got burnt out and was being emotionally abused at a fashion job in NYC. In my 12 month experiment I spent literally all of my days focused on self-care.
If we are not filling ourselves daily or at least every other day with self-care, how do we expect to serve or work for others? We would be pouring out from an empty cup.
I love daily movement. Whether it's going on a nature walk, lifting, yoga, twerking in my room, and skincare rituals by my window repeating beauty affirmations to myself or allowing myself to cry and feel sad when I don’t get a modeling job I really wanted. It’s all about giving yourself the permission to take up the space that you and your inner child have always needed.
“This answer might sound super corny, but being your authentic-self is truly a superpower that you have within you at any given moment. No trend cycle, no social media app, no worldly circumstance can ever take that away from you.
Embracing who you are is just a matter of accepting who you are right now, in this moment, reading this interview. Everything that you’ve been through in the past, your body, your beliefs, your style, your “mistakes”. You don’t have to run away from yourself. Try to meet yourself in the middle and declare that this is who you are now, and that it is only going to get better.”
SHEER: When you say "consistency is a form of self-love" what do you mean by that? How do you stay grounded in your self-love practice?
SYB: Because I had a wonky relationship with my masculine energy, it was difficult to respect myself. I’d always push off tasks, or simple things that would pile on top of each other and I really did suffer from procrastination. But instead of beating myself up, I wanted to take a different approach and nurture myself.
It means that you love yourself so much and hold yourself at the highest caliber that you remain consistent even on the days you normally wouldn’t feel like it, or where it’s easier to just not do something. The action of consistency comes from a loving place, not an energy of force and punishment.
My grounding comes from gratitude. Gratitude for literally anything. For myself, for the people in my life, for the food I have everyday and the fact that I have a healthy body that functions the best that it can!
“The affirmation I used to overcome my fears is: My faith is greater than my fears.
That my success is inevitable and I do not question my success. We are all creating our realities every single moment. You just have to be bold enough to call the shots and declare what you stand for. ”
SHEER: What advice would you give to anyone who is struggling to embrace who they are and express their authentic self?
SYB: This answer might sound super corny, but being your authentic-self is truly a superpower that you have within you at any given moment. No trend cycle, no social media app, no worldly circumstance can ever take that away from you.
Embracing who you are is just a matter of accepting who you are right now, in this moment, reading this interview. Everything that you’ve been through in the past, your body, your beliefs, your style, your “mistakes”. You don’t have to run away from yourself. Try to meet yourself in the middle and declare that this is who you are now, and that it is only going to get better.
If you have a hard time expressing your authentic-self like I did, I recommend taking yourself out on solo dates! It’s such a fun way to get to know yourself. Most likely the inability to express ourselves authentically comes from a wound from childhood– or even last year. What was the way you wanted to express yourself back then? You always have the power to heal that wound and express yourself now. Whether it is getting a skateboard, or taking yourself out to a lunch date, or wearing the color orange and taking pictures of yourself. The small steps make the world of a difference.
Remember that it is your purpose to be your authentic-self. Whatever authentic means to you right now…the world needs you!
SHEER: What lasting impact do you hope your work will have on people?
In terms of modeling, I want people to see me and feel represented and be inspired to also be the representation in any field they’re in. If someone comes across my Instagram, TikTok, or this interview and says “wow… I really needed this today”, then my work was done.
I just want people to know that they deserve to live a life that is wilder than their wildest dreams and to enjoy the journey of self-discovery. If I can be a part of their journey, that is such an honor for me!!
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Cyndi Hounouvi is a poet, musical artist, and model born and raised in Germany of Beninese/Togolese descent. She self-published her first collection of poems titled “17” and is the co-founder and organizer of community project SistaTalk, a response to the lack of resources and spaces for Black women in Hamburg, Germany.