Jun

15

2008

(10) Comments

NSFW but It’s Okay for the Subway

11:00AM by lan

While surfing Youtube, I “StumbledUpon” this video. I hope it’s some kind of joke or she’s European but this woman literally undresses on a Hong Kong subway.

At first she’s only wear a long trench coat with nothing but red lingerie underneath and starts by doing her makeup. Don’t ask me why, they just see it as something you should do in private. And while I begin to watch this, I’m thinking “wow, Hong Kong trains are 10 times smoother/better than New York’s”.

But anyways she then dramatically pulls off her coat and everyone turns their head. Good thing she’s hot otherwise I would have turned off the video. However she starts shaving her legs. I was hoping she would nick herself but again Hong Kong trains rock. Afterwards she get dressed in her uniform and again everyone but she sits and gets off like nothing happened.

Jun

2

2008

(9) Comments

article: ‘Shanghai Beauties Proudly State: We Belong to Foreign Men’

05:46PM by Alvin Lin

This is a Chinese language article, FYI.  Another translation I have heard on the title is ‘We Live for Foreign Men’.  Whatever the agreed upon translation is, there are some pretty disturbing mentalities right now in Asia, where people are looking down on other Asians and having ‘White is Right’ mentality.  Sadly, it will probably take at least another generation until self hate and White worship issues become resolved amongst Asian populations.

http://news.21cn.com/luntan/retie/2006/07/25/2661280.shtml

May

17

2008

(13) Comments

Asian vs Asian American Perception of Asian Beauty Treatments

10:33AM by Alvin Lin

The article is about an Asian American going to Asia, observing, and commenting or hinting on things like eyelid or nose ridge surgery being linked to Caucasian-centric beauty standards, as well as the many beautiful Asian woman with mediocre White men couples she saw in the cities as a symptom of ‘cultural repudiation’.

There is a link to the original article below, with comments in it. What is interesting is how emotional and strongly the Asian posters living in Asia deny or defend Asian beauty treatments, or about the AF/ugly WM couples, and also bash that writer as well as Asian Americans, for our views on this topic.

What do you guys think? Are we, Asian Americans, projecting our own Westernized viewpoint in a way that creates bias or incorrect observations on our part? Or, are Asians in Asia in denial or ignorance, over eyelid or noseridge surgery, or over the attractive Asian female / low quality White male pairings in Asia?  Article Link

Apr

13

2008

(4) Comments

‘K’ tells Montel About Asian Nose, Eyelid Plastic Surgery

04:43PM by Alvin Lin

Link

In my opinion, this is “must see”. It reminded me of some older Tyra Banks talkshow clips on the same subject, however this segment is even more blatant and clear so that there is no mistaking what is going on.

Apr

9

2008

(5) Comments

Minorities with Internalized Self-Racism

07:00AM by Alvin Lin

“When you have Asian American women who are ignorant of history and that the desire from these people goes back to the colonization of Asian countries, the media portrayal of Asian women, and Asian American women being socialized into the White supremacist world of media, it makes perfect sense. Underlying it all is a form of racist love, not an equality. These Asian American women get hit on or propositioned by White men, but they don’t realize what lies beneath; that they’re coming onto you as a prostitute or massage woman, because that’s what they see, first and foremost, regardless of educational level. Conversely, an Asian American woman in White supremecist America will value anything White. I won’t say it’s instinctual, but almost at the preconscious level.”

-Prof Darrell Hamamoto, Asian American studies at UC Davis

http://www.audreymagazine.com/Sep2005/Features03.asp

Apr

6

2008

(3) Comments

Videos: ‘Asian American Body Image’

07:30AM by Alvin Lin

“[Videos discussing] Asian American body image, beauty standards, eating disorders, and unspoken pressures to be thin in both American and Asian cultures. An otherwise taboo subject to talk about among specifically Asian Americans, students at Columbia University are now tired of keeping mum about the issue and are speaking out. “

Asian American Beauty: ‘Female Body Image’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mv-WI6Vlrpk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8XWQ62HdCs

Trailers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4DmfcQ6n_8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lawt3TaEbSo

Director Calvin Sun, ‘08, is Columbia’s incoming Senior Class Vice President

Apr

2

2008

(7) Comments

Gina Choe, Clips Of Her Disaster Moments on ‘America’s Next Top Model’

07:20AM by Alvin Lin

This is the infamous clip where Gina, a very confused and self hating Asian American individual, goes in front of Tyra Banks and says ‘I want to represent Asians’, then in the next breath says she isn’t into Asian guys and explains why with some really lame generalizations. The judges come down hard on her for this, and then she gets really confused and I don’t think Gina really understands what happened.

Here is another clip, where Gina says “I’m 21 years old, I don’t know who I really am, I feel like I’m having an identity crisis”

Here is another clip, where another model calls out Gina on how Gina feels ashamed of her race. Gina responds by saying ‘I feel like I’m American and Korean, but I don’t know which one I am more of’.

Apr

1

2008

(10) Comments

Tyra Banks Calls Out Asian American Self Hate

07:00AM by Alvin Lin

Tyra challenges some talk show guests and hints at the fact that some Asians develop self-hate in the face of racism in American society while growing up, and do things to feel accepted later in life. I feel like in some ways, Tyra Banks addresses certain Asian American issues than most Asian American icons do. I believe a small minority of Asian Americans these days have self-hate, inferiority complex, and a desire to look, act, and date only White.

Tyra on Asian eyelid surgery and self hate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOcSJSJWD60

Tyra on only dating White and self hate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmK1T23p1Xw

CNN clip talking about Asian eyelid surgery and white-centric beauty
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWOUyFOYR2E&NR=1

Mar

31

2008

(6) Comments

Is Sexual Attraction Manufactured by Society / Media?

07:10AM by Alvin Lin

“Your physical and sexual attraction is socially constructed,” says Elaine Kim, Ph.D., professor of Asian American Studies at the University of California at Berkeley, “and it’s hard to escape from that.” If you’re Asian, the way you see yourself and the way you think about beauty, according to Kim, is very different if you went to high school in Monterey Park (a community in Los Angeles County with a large Asian population), where the kids voted most popular, the most beautiful were Asian, versus going to a high school where everyone is blonde-haired and blue-eyed.

Mar

30

2008

(6) Comments

Asian Inferiority Complex

07:00AM by Alvin Lin

-Why are White models and actors frequently used for ads and posters in Asia?
-Why do so many Asian women get eyelid enlarging surgery, dye their hair blonde, and wear blue contacts?
-How come some Asian youth are ‘not attracted to Asians’?
-How come if you are Caucasian or an English-speaking Asian in Asia, you are treated better everywhere you go?
-How come some Asians get ashamed from being around ‘too many Asians’?
-Why didn’t more Asian-Americans stand up after the ‘Vincent Chin’ murder?