"Changin' Asian" #1

Ok, so this is a new segment-esque addition to the blog. It will focus on Asian Americans who are challenging Asian stereotypes by entering unexpected fields, and succeeding. So for the first installment of “Changin’ Asian” I’m profiling one of my favorite people: Jeannie Mai!

Now I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that many people have no idea who she is. However, I am a personal fan of her style; she is the host of the show “How Do I Look?” on The Style Network. Even though it is actually a makeover show, the real show is Jeannie Mai. The host goes through several chic outfits in a single episode. She has a keen sense of fashion and a winning personality that have made her a success.

Her father was a Vietnamese immigrant and her mother was Chinese. She was born and raised in California among several family members that her parents had brought over from Vietnam. It was this large family that encouraged Mai’s cheerful and bright personality that helped catapult her to television personality status. However, she first got her start as a makeup artist for several celebrities and the connections she established helped to make a name for her as a style expert.

 One rarely sees Asian Americans in such a position and career as Jeannie Mai, but she has made a name for herself, which is why she is my first choice for “Changin’ Asian.” Feel free to leave your own suggestions of Asian Americans that are changing stereotypes and breaking out into different fields.

Guest Blogger #2: Lynn

            As an Asian-American, I often get judged by the typical Asian stereotypes in school. It’s already pre-expected that I should excel in classes such as math and science, which ironic because those two classes really are my favorite subjects. Chances are, you would most likely catch me carrying an AP Biology book and a heavy backpack wherever I go. However, my two classes that I have most interest in are actually the classes that I struggle most with. With that being said, I can easily break the “Asians-being-so-good-in-math-and-science” stereotype. But what is even more ironic is that I really do feel like a “typical” Asian.

            Asians are industrious, multi-talented, and (will be) successful in their lives. Asians tend to push themselves more, which is where the “nerdy” look started developing. As for myself, I am currently taking 4 AP classes in my senior year, the year where everything was supposedly “less stressful” and more fun. Talk about overachieving.

            In addition, Asians are not only stuffing their noses into books, there’s a good possibility that a majority of them are musically gifted. My parents put me in violin lessons starting in 3rd grade, the flute in 4th, and lastly the piano in 5th. To this day, I still keep in touch with all the instruments I play, which made me feel confident in my decision of minoring in Music Theory & Composition in college. On that note, I plan on majoring in Pre-Medicine Studies and becoming a successful doctor in the near future. Now that’s typical.

            I enjoy my hectic Asian-American life. I like telling myself that I’m unique and that I stand out from others. For starters, I’m 4’11.25’’. Apparently, everyone thinks I would be quiet and shy. I’m exactly the opposite much to everyone’s surprise. I’ve tried starting to count how many people who said exactly this: “You’re really loud for a small person.” For the record, I’ve stopped counting. I also stay active by playing sports instead of going home and doing homework as anticipated. Being on a Varsity Swimming&Diving and Tennis team builds up more character and reputation for myself.

            It’s not advised or encouraged that a person should be judged by their stereotypes of their background or by their looks. Just a tip, be careful with what you think, because that often leads to what you say. Take time to actually get to know the person; there’s so much more to what’s just on the surface.

Video Bar: Takin' it to Taiwan

So, after a long time I've finally changed it up with the Video Bar on the side panel. Now it features songs from popular Taiwanese artist Jay Chou. He is a super famous singer/songwriter, as well as actor, throughout Asia. While he may not be as well known in the States, some people might recognize him from the 2011 Hollywood film The Green Hornet where he played Kato, the sidekick.

Are You Serious? #6

Mmmmm...curry!

One of the stereotypes that I find just plain weird is that Indian people smell like curry.

I don’t know, I guess it’s supposed to be because we eat curry a lot…but it’s still weird.

Anyway, I guess it is a pretty common stereotype because one girl seemed to take it very literally. When my sister was at work one day her coworker just came up to her and literally sniffed her (which is just plain creepy) and then she just says “You smell good!” as though she was surprised. My sister just looks at this girl like she’ s crazy (which she just might be) and the girl’s only response is “I thought all Indian people smelled like curry.” Now I’ve heard people use it as an insult, but I never thought that someone would take it so literally. I bet she was the one born that minute.

Guest Blogger #1: Joanna

Hello, my name is Joanna Tso and I am an Asian-American living in Connecticut. Being an Asian-American is an awesome feeling and a privileged circumstance. Of course, being an Asian living in an American society does have its advantages and disadvantages. For example, being Asian sets you apart from other ethnic groups and you feel special in your own cultural way. Being different is a unique attribute and not being ashamed of it is very important. Although, many people today make fun of how my Asian colleagues speak, it doesn't bother me a bit because it takes a lot of courage for one to learn to speak an entirely new language. The reason why most Asians even move to the US is for better life opportunity and for many, they feel like they have achieved their dream and they are living in the new world. On the other hand, by being an Asian-American, I am able to speak two languages fluently. My first language is Cantonese which is a dialect of the Chinese language. Secondly, I can speak English very well which I learned in Kindergarten and from my older sisters. Although I was born in Brooklyn, NY and moved to Connecticut at a very young age, I still feel like I have embraced both the Asian and American culture, and that is the most rewarding feeling of all.

Are You Serious? #5

Well, actually I had forgotten about this one until a friend recently brought it up again.

We had a substitute in World History class that day and we were learning about Hinduism. When the sub goes over the instructions for the day she decides to add that if anyone needs help they should just ask me. My response is looking at her like she is crazy, and saying ‘I’m Catholic.’ I feel like being Indian has forced me to say that way more than necessary. Now if someone is Caucasian nobody bothers to ask their religion, but if you’re Asian the assumptions are all out. If you’re Indian you are by default Hindu; if you’re Chinese you either follow Confucianism or Buddhism.  

                It’s actually one of the more common stereotypes I get. A lot of people ask me my religion the first time we meet. Ironically that is typically poor etiquette, but when you’re Asian that whole personal-info-thing goes out the window.  I can’t even begin to say how funny it is when people freak out when they see me eat meat. It’s that ‘Oh snap!’-moment because they think I just broke my religion. But I have my own fun with it. Sometimes I freak out like I really did just commit the cardinal sin by eating meatJ. Oh, but it’s all just for fun.

The Irony of Movie Casting

Justin Chatwin as Goku

It would be really easy to just do a post on the countless number of Asian stereotypes in film and television, so that isn’t what I’m going to do (at least not right now). Instead, I’m going to be annoyed with really poor and just plain random movie casting. So it’s one thing to create a character for the sheer purpose of fulfilling a stereotype, but it’s a whole other thing when a role is essentially designed to be filled by an Asian, but isn’t. Although there are times when this can actually work out well, that isn’t always the case.

One of those fails would have to be the live-action film adaption of Dragonball Evolution. Not only was the movie a critical and commercial failure, it also had some of the most bizarre casting ever. I know this is coming from someone who grew up watching the anime, so maybe I just so happen to take extra offense to the poor casting, but anyone can see that it was BAD.

Since, it’s adapted from a manga and all of the characters are Japanese you would think that the casting directors would take a logical approach to this, but they didn’t. Now it’s one thing to leave the whole thing Asian and maintain the casting accordingly, or switch it up to accommodate a different cast. However, this movie didn’t take either approach, it took both. The cast was a bizarre mix of Asian American actors along with several Caucasian actors. Not only is that weird, but how is it that Goku is not even Asian!? It’s not even like Justin Chatwin looks similar, it was just a fail at casting. Who really thinks it’s a smart choice to have most of the supporting characters portrayed by Asian American actors, but then change it up with the main character? This is one of those times when not fitting the Asian template didn’t work.

However, I won’t say that it always turns out poorly. The Forbidden Kingdom starred Michael Angarano alongside Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Now typically I would be opposed to the random introduction of some scrawny little American boy into a martial arts’ film, but it worked. It was actually an entertaining plot, and a well-executed one (both of which were untrue in the case of Dragonball Evolution). And yeah I get that Asians in a martial arts’ film is pretty stereotypical that isn’t really the point of this post; this is about straying from the typical casting in Asian-geared films. The irony is that attempts to not be stereotypical can actually be worse than sticking with the original.