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We're Angry, Asian, & Female. If you're interested in being a member or just want to know why we're so damn angry, let us know via gmail.
 nicholas saputra.
Margaret Cho’s Asian chicken salad joke
A little something to say, TOO...
We got love for all our followers, but I got a little something to say… Harajuku Lovers is a pretty interesting example of things people do to Asian cultures. Let me just present the image and let it speak for itself: Okay I guess I can’t let it speak for itself. It’s the ad that harajukulovers.tumblr use for their icon. It reminded me of the first time I saw this ad—I was so confused and almost disturbed. Firstly, they distort the image of Japanese girls, like they all dress that wild all the time and don’t speak EVER (the only noise they make is when they giggle softly). Then they can’t even have a Japanese person sell the products! What?! Okay Gwen’s modeling the Harajuku Lovers line largely after her image obviously, but this is feels like some yellow face days revisited type shit. Harajuku Lovers - Response: You say you are upset that the Harajuku Lovers line is using Japanese girls in their products, but then you are upset that the model in this ad is not Asian? And we are smart enough to know that Japanese girls and other Asian women don’t “barely speak” and they don’t dress vibrantly and super cute all the time! Unfortunately, not everyone can think for themselves, and needs to be educated, so I understand what you are trying to say. Like I said, we have love for all our followers. Don’t take it as a personal attack—I’m not criticizing your tumblr or belittling your interests. Those are just thoughts I’ve always had that was sparked by seeing your blog. We’re angry Asian girls (if the blog url didn’t give it away), what can I say? haha. My point in bringing up the whole Harajuku Girls brand has to do with what happens to the image of Asian cultures and people. Of course we’re not trying to claim people literally believe Asian people are a certain way when they see things like Harajuku Girls’ stuff. I’m not tryna say everyone will think of Asian girls in one way, and one way only. But then again… it’s completely false if we say it doesn’t affect people at all. This actually makes me think specifically of a girl I know (althought this has and continues to happen with many others). She’s not racist, a bad person, or uneducated (she’s attending college with me!), but she says things that throw me off… pretty often. As I got to know her, I became aware of her obsession with cutesy little Asian things (hello, Harajuku Girls), and Asian girls as well. She never fails to describe me as a cute little Asian girl or ask me about other things that involve cute little Asian girls—all things I have NO interest in whatsoever. We know each other pretty well now, but she still seems to find it reasonable to compare me to the cutesy little Asian girls she sees all up in the media. I understand after years and years of reproducing certain images of Asian women, it’s stupid to think it can stop all of a sudden. As a relatively girly-girl myself, I can put all these thoughts aside and just appreciate the cuteness (‘cause I agree, the whole line is hella cute). So with all that shit aside… I still wanna know WHY they had to use a while girl for their ads. Why?! It reminds me of back in the day when Broadway and Hollywood used white actors to play Asian characters. Yes, these movies and plays reproduced negative stereotypes about Asians, but could you at least give the hungry Asian actors a chance? If these plays and movies are gonna be made regardless, I’d rather have actual Asian actors portray.. well, themselves. I’ll say it again, we weren’t trying to attack you personally… I just expressed my opinion.
Things to say when you don't want me to like you:
We got love for all our followers, but I got a little something to say… Harajuku Lovers is a pretty interesting example of things people do to Asian cultures. Let me just present the image and let it speak for itself: Okay I guess I can’t let it speak for itself. It’s the ad that harajukulovers.tumblr use for their icon. It reminded me of the first time I saw this ad—I was so confused and almost disturbed. Firstly, they distort the image of Japanese girls, like they all dress that wild all the time and don’t speak EVER (the only noise they make is when they giggle softly). Then they can’t even have a Japanese person sell the products! What?! Okay Gwen’s modeling the Harajuku Lovers line largely after her image obviously, but this is feels like some yellow face days revisited type shit.
 holy shit john cho hellloooo cutie.
When someone says they are against feminism, my first response is, really what kind of feminism do you have a problem with. This usually draws blank stares. Feminism in the public discourse means one thing, despite the fact that no monolithic woman exists. I then do the rundown of the different kinds of feminism, as I watch the eyes of listener roll. No they insist, feminism is all about privileging women over men. Women have the vote, and equality before the law so all of the problems have been solved. It occurs to me that feminism suffers from the same image problem that POC do. We are expected to speak with one specific voice, and yet we all know that life experience causes different needs, and desires. A WOC living in Canada (me) will have very different needs than say a black South African woman, yet we are both black. Similarly a white suburban, mini van driving, soccer mom will have a completely different focus, than an urban 20 something New York socialite. I have found that no matter how many times I point out that women have different experiences, the response I get back is usually framed within the idea that vagina equals one large collective brain. The hive sort of mentality that is attributed to feminism is harmful. My feminism speaks to who I am as a person, it speaks to my needs, and desires, and it is certainly not representative of women at large. Many have been upset that the fissures in feminism have been made public. The idea that an anti-racist feminist, would critique a Marxist feminist of ignoring the impact of race is something that the public at large simple cannot comprehend. Even the volley that is passed between sex positive feminists, and radical feminists in reference to sex work is kept under wraps, and only discussed within feminist circles. To admit that there are differences some contend is diluting the movement, and counter to the progression of womens issues. In actuality a diversity of voices is only counter to those that believe that they have the right to represent feminism to the world. I am tired of a small minority of women representing feminism, and asserting an authority that they were never granted. Not only are they not capable of speaking for me, they are not even remotely capable of understanding what my life experience is like. It is time for those of us who identify beyond the second/third wave to step onto the stage. Whether you are an eco, socialist, sex positive, queer,DIY, anti-racist, etc, make your voice heard. You have just as much right to represent feminism as the squeaky wheels that are currently doing to the talk show, and book signing circuit. ― Feminism - What You Don’t Know Could Fill A Handbook(via ihatethismess) (via missleeding) |
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