When David Yi was five years old, he remembers watching his father get ready in the mornings. “He would always put on his potions and elixirs and do his hair. And he would do this before he went to bed,” says the co-founder of Very Good Light, a platform and brand celebrating beauty beyond the gender binary. “I remember thinking at the time, why is he so obsessed?”
Years later, Yi recognized how crucial those moments alone were for his father. “I realized this was my Korean dad’s way of surviving the cruelties of this country. He was pumping himself up in the morning and putting his best face forward,” he says. “I know people say beauty is vanity, and in some ways it is, but in other ways, it’s their way of surviving.”
Good Light founder David Yi.
Photo: Courtesy of David Yi
The ethos of beauty as protection and self-actualization is a driving force for Very Good Light, which was founded in 2016. “‘Good Light’ comes from the idea that we're no longer going to be hiding in the shadows; we're going to step into the light,” says Yi. “We're going to celebrate ourselves and other people are going to celebrate us as well.” The media platform aims to redefine masculinity within the beauty space and promote Good Light—a skincare brand focused on creating products for everyone, regardless of their gender identity. The brand’s Moon Glow Milky Toning Lotion won the 2022 Beauty All-Star award for “Industry Disrupter.”
Below, Yi shares the inspiration behind launching the brand, the struggles he has faced as a founder, and what motivates him to keep pushing on.
I remember interviewing a woman whose grandfather would always wear a suit. It was his armor—a way of protecting himself from negative interactions or comments. I feel like your dad was doing something similar.
“Right, especially as people of color or immigrants, if there’s something about you that’s ‘off,’ it could potentially put you in harm’s way. Especially for the older generation, I think their thought process is okay, I’m going to put my best face forward, I’m going to make sure everything is put together, so there isn’t any potential for harm.”
Did that sentiment ever make you feel like you had to be perfect?
“Yes, I think we’ve all succumbed to respectability politics in some way with the thought that we’ll be embraced by this country and have an easier time if we behave or look a certain way. I mean, now we know that’s not true. For me, being Korean American and a queer person in this country, I’ve had to try to fit in in many ways. I thought if I was more gruff in my expression maybe people wouldn’t make fun of me as much. Maybe if I change this about me, I’d have more friends. But knowing that being your authentic self and walking in your light and your truth, that's when your life starts to change, and that's when my life did start to change. When I didn't try to fit in. Everyone's life changes when they reject these cultural norms and embrace who they are.”
Good Light founder David Yi.
Photo: Courtesy of David Yi
How long did it take for you to get there?
“I’m still getting there. I think self-actualization and self-love is a process and we have to practice that every single day. Last year, when [me and my family] were moving, I found footage of my 15-year-old self on stage talking about diversity, equity, inclusion, and intersectionality during a show that my high school’s International Diversity Council put on. I think it was then that I decided I had nothing to lose and everything to gain by speaking truthfully about my experience. That’s why I got into storytelling and decided to create this brand.”
What made you want to become a brand founder?
“I was a journalist for over a decade, and I wanted to uplift communities that didn’t get a lot of love. My last job was at Mashable, where I launched [the] fashion and beauty [verticals]. I did a story on 11 trans teens and it’s one story that’ll never leave me. This was back in 2015 when we weren’t really having conversations about young trans people. It was a piece that made me realize how powerful the written word can be. I remember thinking, what if I could do this every day? In 2016, I launched Very Good Light, a website dedicated to redefining masculinity, at a time when folks didn’t really understand that.”
Good Light founder David Yi.
Photo: Courtesy of David Yi
Had you already left Mashable when you launched Very Good Light?
“Yes. I feel like the universe pushed me off a cliff. But I had no other choice because I felt like there was nowhere else to go and no one was trying to do what I’d set out to accomplish. Very Good Light was the community I needed, that I felt connected to. I always knew I wanted to create a beauty brand from our community, by our community, and that was a beauty brand beyond the binary. Our mission now is to create more inclusive, safe spaces to talk about ourselves and be proud of ourselves.
What was the greatest challenge you faced during the brand’s early days?
“I felt so alone. I was doing this by myself. I had no funding, I didn’t have any savings because as journalists, we don’t really have savings. I was homeless for a time. I remember leaving my Brooklyn apartment; I had to sublet it because I couldn’t afford to live there anymore. I left and I slept on people’s couches for the first few days before moving back home [to Colorado]. I made a lot of sacrifices. But it was more than worth it. When I felt uninspired or sick, or when I felt alone, I thought about that greater purpose and why I started this in the first place. And that got me inspired. That got me to a point where I was able to do this for four years before getting a co-founder, then launching the beauty brand.”
Why was it important for you to focus on sustainability when launching Good Light?
“When it comes to inclusivity and sustainability, we need to talk about social sustainability too and that means uplifting communities of color and the LGBTQIA community, but also sustaining our world. We cannot move forward if we are not sustaining our world.
There are so many brands, right? There's so much waste that the beauty industry produces. So every single product that we are coming out with, we want to be as sustainable as possible.”
Was there ever a moment where you thought, Fuck, I don't think this brand is going to get off the ground?
“Oh my gosh, I think that still happens. I think for people who aren’t a straight, white, cis male, you always have this feeling that you’re not good enough. I have so many of those days even though I’ve done so much. I published my first book last year, launched a beauty brand last year, and I still have imposter syndrome. I’m still working through that self-actualization process. I want to remind myself that even if I haven’t accomplished anything, even if I look a certain way, I’m still enough. I want to really spread that message with the brand.”
Good Light
Moon Glow Milky Toning Lotion
“I love a hydrating toner, especially in the winter months; it feels so nice on my skin. If you have dry skin that needs moisture, I’d definitely recommend this.” —Raisa Flowers, Celebrity Makeup Artist
