identity
How Comedian Simmone Park Struggled With Not Wanting to Be White, Being Accepted as an Asian
Simmone Park, like many Asians around the world, struggled with coming to terms with her dual identity as a North Korean Canadian woman.
As a speaker and standup comedian, Park had an honest and vulnerable conversation with NextShark where she opened up about her journey of overcoming racism as a child. This eventually manifested itself as internalized racism in her adult years.
9 Comedians Redefining Asian Identity in 2019
Asian visibility in Western media has long been a hot-button topic. One of the few forms of entertainment in which Asian people have found mainstream success is in comedy. Whether it be in the realm of standup, sketch comedy or YouTube videos, Asian comedians have found a place to express themselves in American media.
Does Being Part Asian Make Me Less Asian?
Deep down, I still want to learn Cantonese. My grandfather, who emigrated to the Dominican Republic in the early 60s, came from China. He quickly rebuilt and rebranded himself, assimilating his status in DR as a friendly outsider. His son, my father, is a mix of Dominican and Chinese. My mother is Dominican almost entirely. In essence, I’m 25% Chinese; two generations from the mainland; idiomatically detached.
But my last name remains Sang and my face retains Asian features. And no matter where I go and who I encounter, that ends up meaning a lot. It colors the lens with which I am interpreted; Asian name, Asian face, Asian man. The reality that I speak Spanish, that I’ve lived in Santo Domingo, that I deeply care for and identify with the United States as my birth nation and home; those are mostly additional details. Amongst Dominicans, I am usually “el chino,” a term which I take as endearing if not a tad separatistic. My first school friends were Asian; we saw each other more easily than others saw us.
Why ‘Black Panther’ is My First Asian-American Superhero Movie
Editor’s Note: Colin Lieu is a New York-based freelance consultant and avid yogi. The opinions expressed in this piece are solely his own.
Lupita Nyong’o told Good Morning America that we can better see ourselves when we can see ourselves in others — but that she grew up only being able to see herself in white superheroes, and it’s high time the reverse is happening.
Until Three Months Ago, I Was Ashamed of Being Asian
Until three months ago, I was ashamed of being Asian. It wasn’t until I ran for local office this year, at 19-years-old and as a Harvard sophomore, when I had to suddenly defend being Asian (even for my own pride) against visceral racism usually from strangers over social media who were unafraid to call me a “chink” or “gook” and labeled my campaign as the start of some young “Asian invasion.”
In many ways, I’m still learning to be proud of what I look like as an Asian person, and trying to understand what that even means since I don’t feel very connected to my heritage. When people look at me, I am usually categorized as just Asian. In reality, I am half-Japanese and half-Chinese (my maternal grandparents are Hakka from Taiwan). My maternal grandparents grew up in Taiwan while it was occupied by Japan, and my grandmother’s house was occupied by Japanese soldiers. Growing up, my paternal Japanese grandmother used to give me baths to wash the “dirty Chinese” off of me. I later learned that she was secretly part Chinese, raised by a mother who grew up in China, and grew up in a racist Japan that made her feel ashamed because of that.
The Problem With Using the Word ‘Hapa’ For Mixed Asians
If you happen to be a product of more than one ancestry, specifically White European and Asian, it’s likely that you’ve come across the word “hapa” at least once.
The word has become a loaded term to date. Deconstructing it would take us more than a thousand years into the past, but the effort is well worth it to finally shed light on how it came to existence.
Belts and Bruises: How Physical Abuse Can Shape The Identities of POC
One thing I constantly see across Twitter is the sharing between POC of stories of their worse a** beatings and what tools were used to do so. I’ve seen sandals, rulers, switches, branches, pans, belts, and more, shared in this sense of solidarity as we all cackle over what got us into trouble.
I’ve laughed along too, even at relatable (although exaggerated) videos like this one, reminiscing in the times I’d fight back my tears until my face turned as red as the belt marks left on my body.
Indian-Americans Who Adopted White Children Reveal What People Always Ask Them
“Scarlett eats meat!” M’s eyes are round, her tone incredulous. Before I can respond she adds, “We are vegetarian. We do not eat meat.”
I look at her, at a loss for words. I am not sure what I am supposed to say. “Does it bother you that we do not eat meat?” I ask. She ponders my question and goes off on a tangent. I let it be, making a mental note to revisit this conversation another time.
Asian Brands Need To Do Better: Stop Using White Models
Editor’s Note: Eliza Romero is a Baltimore-based, Filipino-American fashion photographer and style blogger behind the website Aesthetic Distance, a blog critical of pop culture. The views expressed in this piece are solely her own.
The very first time I remember feeling disgust for an Asian brand was when Miranda Kerr was chosen as the cover model for Vogue Japan‘s 15th Anniversary issue. There is just no way that a country like Japan, with its own prosperous fashion and modeling industry, couldn’t find a single Japanese model to grace its cover. After that, I kept noticing it everywhere. Kanebo Cosmetics, another Japanese brand, uses white models constantly in their ad campaigns. Same with Shiseido Cosmetics, who famously hired Angelina Jolie to be their official spokesmodel in their Japan-only ad campaign from 2007 to 2009. If you take a look at the e-commerce site for Lazada, a Philippine clothing brand, every single male model is either a white-passing mestizo or a white guy. A few months ago, Vogue India chose Kendall Jenner as their cover model for their 10th Anniversary issue.
These Three Photos Are Going Viral For Flipping the Script on White People
A series of photos published in the May 2017 issue of “O, the Oprah Magazine” is tackling race in a unique way and sparking some heated discussions online.
In the now viral images featured in the photo essay titled “Let’s Talk About Race”, American photographer Chris Buck illustrated the importance of representation by reversing stereotypical roles held by women of color to those of White women, Mic reports.
No, I Am Not Trying To Be White Just Because I Dye My Hair Blonde
Editor’s Note: Eliza Romero is a Baltimore-based, Filipino-American fashion photographer and style blogger behind the website Aesthetic Distance, a blog critical of pop culture. The views expressed in this piece are solely her own.
When it comes to dyeing your hair as an Asian girl, blonde is the most controversial color of all. There are the accusations of being ashamed of your race and propagating white beauty standards. I’ve been accused of both, especially after one of my recent blog posts went viral. I get it and all of the accusations got me thinking. If you’re a person of color in this country, you’ve been inundated with images of whiteness since you were a child. You probably grew up playing with white dolls that had blonde hair and blue eyes. All the magazines you read featured tall, thin white women with light hair and light eyes. All the shows and movies you watched were nothing but white people. Even the children’s books you read were all white kids.
New Clip Surfaces Showing Moments Before Officers Violently Assault Asian Passenger
The saga of Dr. David Dao and United Airlines continues as a new video clip has surfaced showing the moments before the assault.
@CNN and those tuning in to the @United #flight3411, the Dr. was NOT intoxicated. He was in his right mind prior to hitting his face. pic.twitter.com/ZIalP7LDC8