In 2011, Amy Chua shared her personal narrative in her book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, which raised awareness about southeastern Asian parenting techniques. She too is a tiger mom, who pressures her children, now teenageers, to excel in everything, whether it be sports, academics, or a musical instrument. The story is relatable; however; it is scrutinized by western parents who encourage independence in their children, not confinement. Southeastern Asian parents seek structure, and in order for them to do so, endless boundaries are set, from social life to the ideal beauty. Although the parenting techniques of southeastern Asians sometimes do cause teenagers stress and are therefore seen as forceful, studies show that their sons and
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Hard work demonstrates her work ethic. Outfit choices represent her grace. Southeastern Asian parents emphasize simplicity and conservativeness. Generally speaking, they want their daughters to fit the ideal beauty standard, but often time contradict their sayings. Traditional southestern Asian parents enforce strict dress codes for their daughters, specifically in their teenage years, and teach at a young age how girls are “suppose” to act like. Never to open your legs when you sit down, only boy can. No wearing makeup. No crop tops, booty shorts, and piercings other than the ears. In Asia, a great number of teenage girls, and women strive for the innocent and cute look, therefore, everyone dreams to be super skinny (90-100 lbs), have pale skin, an oval shaped face, high nose bridge, red plumped lips, and double eyelids (Hua). Southeastern Asian relatives, not only parents ruthlessly insult you if you do not fit the standards. Amy Chua shares how her grandmother criticized her sister’s nose, “Look how flat this one’s nose is. Not like Amy who has a fine, high bridged nose. Amy looks like a Chia. That other one takes after her mother’s side of the family and looks like a monkey” (Chua 42). Southeastern Asian elders find pleasure in critiquing young children because they do not believe in babying the child. Berkeley held a parenting workshop for Asian parents; the first thing they said was, “Why should I praise my child for doing something they are supposed to do?’” (Anwar) Although this applies to academics, it branches off from the idea of tough love. Parents want their daughters to be thick skinned, hence the continuous comments about her looks. Ironically, they care about what others think about their daughters, which also causes them to tell her to do this and that. Duan shared her insecurities about her weight in an XoJane article: “My mother whispered to me, ‘You’re a little fat now,’...my dad said to me in
Hard work demonstrates her work ethic. Outfit choices represent her grace. Southeastern Asian parents emphasize simplicity and conservativeness. Generally speaking, they want their daughters to fit the ideal beauty standard, but often time contradict their sayings. Traditional southestern Asian parents enforce strict dress codes for their daughters, specifically in their teenage years, and teach at a young age how girls are “suppose” to act like. Never to open your legs when you sit down, only boy can. No wearing makeup. No crop tops, booty shorts, and piercings other than the ears. In Asia, a great number of teenage girls, and women strive for the innocent and cute look, therefore, everyone dreams to be super skinny (90-100 lbs), have pale skin, an oval shaped face, high nose bridge, red plumped lips, and double eyelids (Hua). Southeastern Asian relatives, not only parents ruthlessly insult you if you do not fit the standards. Amy Chua shares how her grandmother criticized her sister’s nose, “Look how flat this one’s nose is. Not like Amy who has a fine, high bridged nose. Amy looks like a Chia. That other one takes after her mother’s side of the family and looks like a monkey” (Chua 42). Southeastern Asian elders find pleasure in critiquing young children because they do not believe in babying the child. Berkeley held a parenting workshop for Asian parents; the first thing they said was, “Why should I praise my child for doing something they are supposed to do?’” (Anwar) Although this applies to academics, it branches off from the idea of tough love. Parents want their daughters to be thick skinned, hence the continuous comments about her looks. Ironically, they care about what others think about their daughters, which also causes them to tell her to do this and that. Duan shared her insecurities about her weight in an XoJane article: “My mother whispered to me, ‘You’re a little fat now,’...my dad said to me in