My Asian American Identity

For the final project, I chose my own identity, which is an Asian American woman. To begin, I am going to define what it means to be Asian American. This typically refers to people living in the United States who identify as Asian. Typically, when we think about Asian American, we tend to primarily associate it with East and Southeast Asian countries such as China, South Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. In addition, the Asian American identity actually entails bicultural identities. This is generally seen in second-generation immigrants. We will see them struggle to balance between their Asian and American identities. As well as this, there are many deep-rooted values that are an integral part of this identity. A few of these examples include importance of family and preserving cultural aspects. Moreover, there is always a “foreign” feeling about Asian Americans. Their physical attributes tend to define them, making them constantly feel like foreigners. Although they may not seem to be impacted by racism as other minority groups, they still are discriminated through stereotypes. The most well known stereotype about Asian Americans is the model minority myth. This myth regards Asian Americans extremely successful, hardworking, intelligent, and can effortlessly assimilate into American society. This has many repercussions
Although an Asian American woman identify as both Asian American and woman, they are often told to pick a side when advocating. Much like the identity of a woman, this identity is also sexualized, but at a heightened level because of their Asian American identity. The two main stereotypes are the China Doll/Geisha, submissive and passive, and Dragon Lady, predatory devious. They are seen as exotic and therefore fetishized. Additionally, they are impacted by traditional views that consider men as superior, pressure women to marry, and have high beauty