My Asian American Identity

Arden Cho, Lucy Liu, and Sandra Oh: all of whom are Asian American descent. I think we can all agree that they are all beautiful women in America, but how do they stack up against other Asian and American actresses? All of these actresses have Asian parents who have taught them their culture's values and morals. America has also influenced their perspectives. What they deem beautiful is a fusion of American and Asian qualities. But where do I fit in? Throughout my childhood, I have struggled with my identity. I was born in China but was adopted by Americans. I learned American values although my visage is an "ethnic" person. Many people come up to me expecting me to act or behave one-way just because they think that my appearance dictates the …show more content…
I did have a couple Asian friends, but I usually shied away since I thought I wasn't really "one of them". Not until high school did I start to find myself. I became a floater between my old middle school friends and my new culturally diverse high school friends. I was intrigued with their language, values, behavior, and goals. I thought, "Why do they care about school so much? It's only high school." To me, school was just something you were forced to do. Later, when I got to know them better, I realized that they had to do well in school. Most of their families are first or second generation immigrants. When their parents came here, they had very little. They worked hard to prove themselves to society. Their children want to prove to them that their strife was not in vain. They want to make their parents …show more content…
Many Americans agree that she belongs on that list, but many Asians do not. Is it possible for someone to be beautiful someplace but unattractive in another? Many people of the Asian communities took to social media to convey how they felt about Oh placing on the 50 Most Beautiful People list. Many said that she was a poor representation of what Asian beauty really is and others complained about her appearance without providing insight on what they deemed to be beautiful. I was shocked at how another culture could vary so much in opinions. It was then that I realized that what people see beautiful is highly influenced by many factors such as environment, values, and culture. I recently learned that just like any other adjective, beauty is highly subjective. I also realized that just like American high fashion magazines, everything's fake. Although, I knew that Americans don't look like models and that the expectations set for regular people are high, I didn't apply that to Asians. Not until I met and became friends with a more diverse group of people did I realize that beauty differs in