Being an Asian girl, I get to hear the silliest things from people.
“Hey, did you know being Asian is kind of trendy right now?” <— I felt like a Furby, which is no longer trendy, by the way.
“Hmm, you’re from Vietnam? I thought that was a war?” <— Sad truth, happened more than once.
“Do you speak Korean?”
“No. I’m Vietnamese”
“What’s the difference?”
“It’s two different countries. Even our rice is different.”
(That one isn’t fair though, the guy is an idiot.)
As recently as a few months ago, someone asked me if I consider myself Asian. Eh? I’ve been asked about my slanted eyes (which I don’t find them to be) or to “say something!” and my favorite, “Where are you from?”, “California.”, “Yeah, but what are you?”, “A girl.” Okay, so I know what they mean, but I can’t help myself. I’m always finding myself in these silly situations. I realized that it might have to do with the fact that Asian-Americans are not well represented in media. Sure on television, we’re in gangs, live in Chinatown, are victims of a sex-slave ring, know karate, or speak very little English, but it’s hard to find us in mainstream media. I’m aware of the few that are, John Cho, Lucy Liu, Sandra Oh, um… that other one, but I definitely feel that there is room for American media to represent us as individuals.
Case in point, the female character in my novel is Vietnamese-American. The protagonist is a white American male. My friend read the beginning and immediately asked if the characters were based on my husband and me. (He’s Jewish.) Well, no, the characters are not me at all. I started to justify it and say, “The point is that the character travels to a foreign land that makes him uncomfortable, and Vietnam is the easiest for me to write about.” I went on further explaining it and then I asked, “When you read books by white Americans, are you prompted to ask if they wrote white characters, because they are too?” I mean, that’s silly. As a reader, I’ve never thought much about the character’s culture unless it’s apart of the story line.
It also worried me that everyone would ask if my characters are Vietnamese because I am. I’m not sure why, I guess I don’t want to be pigeon-holed as an author. On the other hand, WE NEED REPRESENTATION! It should be totally normal to read about the lead character in an American novel as any ethnicity. Of course, it probably is too soon for that.
The Asian-American culture is still largely in the 1st and 2nd generation. It’s a worthy dynamic that should be explored. There are different expectations, different traditions, and ways of raising a family. And it is (and always has been) a very delicate balance. It should be written and read.
What do readers think? Is it weird for you to read about mixed culture couples, families? Are you not interested in reading books where the characters are shaped by the influences of their roots?
In the mean time, I’m just going to keep writing the same story, because it’s FUN!
Reblogged this on The Avid Reader and commented:
I hate when I hear things like this. It’s so annoying. Yes, I’m a girl. Yes, I’m Asian. It doesn’t mean I’m the STEREOTYPIC Asian Girl. In fact, I like to think that I’m just myself, no strings–or stereotypes–attached.
I think we write about what we know so it’s natural to write about our own experiences and the culture in which we live. I think it would be extremely difficult to write about things with which we have no experience.
But I have to ask you–if I understand your post correctly, the protagonist of your novel is male? How’s that working for you?
It’s working out pretty well I think. I grew up with two brothers, have a lot of male friends and worked in kitchens surrounded by guys. Plus I married one. I observe and am known to talk like one.
I also enjoy it because the one thing I don’t understand is what it is about girls that guys like. It’s interesting to explore.Do you have interest in writing in the male perspective?
No, I just thought it would be interesting to hear your take on it, given the context of the questions your blog post was posing, and the answer I offered (we write what we know).
I do plan to write a post on it and hopefully get feedback. I take my time with the dialogue. What would a guy say, what wouldn’t he do, etc. But only readers (that aren’t family and friends) can give me an honest answer.
I’m from a multicultural family and my sister is Korean by birth, but American in every conceivable way. It’s funny, because a lot of the things you mention she encounters daily. People still come up to her and have automatic associations with a culture she has never been a part of. People are either surprised she doesn’t live up to stereotypical expectations they have about Asians or Koreans or if they are Korean themselves, extremely disappointed and sometimes spiteful when they realize she can’t speak Korean or understand their culture. Growing up in a predominantly Korean neighborhood I was especially surprised by the second reaction. What’s your novel about? Can’t wait to read your new up and coming book.
I really feel for your sister. I know a lot of Asians Americans feel the same way. It’s like being in limbo. I felt that way when I was in Vietnam. Sure, that’s where my family is from and I speak the language, but it was so clear to the locals that I was foreign. The same treatment in America. I know that these experiences help make us empathetic though, so more power to your sister!
I’m glad you express interest in my story. It’s going through revision at the moment but I’m not slow moving so hopefully just a few more months!
I have a friend, of Chinese descent, who’s gone through that. She keeps getting the “Where are you from?”
“O******.”
“No, where are you from?”
“O*****.”
“Where are your parents from?
“O******.”
If I recall correctly, her ancestors came to the U.S. in the mid-19th century during the railroad boom. So, the family’s been here longer than most of the people asking where she’s from.
Conversely, one side of my family moved here from Poland when my great-grandfather was less than 5 years old (we know he was born in Poland and his sister was born in Michigan when he was 5, but not exactly when they came over), so early 1900s.
Wow, it’s amazing how many people aren’t content to just let people *be*, in the sense that we have to label everything. Strange, isn’t it?
I do think that most white authors write white characters because it’s their cultural norm; if people are told to imagine a car, I expect they’d picture the car they own, etc. I grew up in a very white place, so I would say that the reason most of the time I think up a character who is white, it’s because that’s just what has been implanted in my brain as the ‘norm.’.
I found it incredibly refreshing when I moved somewhere that does have a very large Asian community, because I love the diversity. I like seeing people of different race, and love hearing people talking in other languages I can’t understand. It gives me a great sense of connectivity, and I really appreciate the fact that people from so many diverse places can come together and just be people, regardless of difference.
There is definitely a problem in the media with regards to representation. And as you say, that problem is only going to improve by people writing about it, so good for you!
Thanks for the comment. Someone else put it better: Will people look past the characters because they are from different cultures, and see that it is just two people falling in love?
Time will tell!
Someone told you that being Asian was trendy? I don’t even know one could respond to something like that…
Stereotypes die hard! Thanks for visiting my blog!