The pursuit of the American dream has led many immigrant families to leave their home countries in hopes of a better future for their family. The escape to America holds many distinct benefits for a new beginning as many escape from their previous hardships. However, the reality is much bleaker as many immigrants face discrimination and racialization from their white American counterparts. Through this, many first- and second-generation youth of colour grew up through the process of racialization before existing in the racial hierarchy in America (Lee and Vaught 2003: 457). A norm is dominant in popular American culture as many typically identify American as middle class and White (Kenny, 2000; Ong, 2000). This construction of an American identity affects youth of colour as they began to be Americanized by popular and consumer cultures. Stacey J. Lee and Sabina Vaught (2003: 458) mention this in their article ‘“You Can Never Be Too Rich or Too Thin”: Popular and Consumer Culture and the Americanization of Asian American Girls and Young Women’ as they investigate the Americanization of Asian Americans young women. To examine the representation of Asian American young women, Lee and Vaught identify aspects of white culture in popular media and stereotypes of Asian women in their research. In my analyzation, I will be identifying American’s model identity, popular media cultural influence on Asian Americans and finally, their adaptation to their roles and representation of self. For my field study, I will be observing Ontario College of Art and Design University’s Asian community. As this is a university institution, I will consider the second case study in the article as well as theories mentioned in the article and readings. By doing so, I can recognize how young Asian Canadian women represent themselves in a Western society.

America, despite its name as the great melting pot, has had conflicting ideas on immigrants since the 19th century with the migration of foreign citizens. Since the 1950s, there has been an influx of immigrants from Asian and Southern Europe to escape their homeland and pursue the American dream. However, there is a significant inequality as the societal hierarchy often puts the White middle class at the top; which creates distance for the immigrant’s pursuit of the American identity.(Kenny, 2000; Ong, 2000) Due to this, many first and second generation youth of colour find themselves unable to identify themselves as American despite their culture, social, historical relations with America. They often feel racialized and this is heavily influenced by popular media and consumer culture, as Whiteness is represented as quintessentially good (2003: 463).Through racialization, the youth of colour began to use these popular media and consumer culture to adhere to their own identities. For example in Hollywood, many films are predominantly White with few inaccurate representations of minorities. This domination of media creates the idea that being white is necessary to fit to the American image. Due to this, the youth of colours starts to fit to white societal representation as that is how they interpret the American identity to their own. America is also racially binary in their construction of American as only Black and White and ignoring other people of colour. This incites stereotypes by America’s dichotomy of good and bad as Whiteness is defined as goodness while Blackness is seen as the Other and bad through media and culture (2003: 458). There has been many accounts of White protagonists battling a villain or criminal that identify as black; therefore, inciting racial stereotypes of blackness being portrayed as violent and dangerous. This idea of hierarchical class racial binary disinclude other races such as Asian in the American identity. This American identity secludes and ostracized Asian-Americans as what Mia Tuan (1998) identify this as “forever foreign” as Asians are never truly accepted as American due to their physical appearance despite their generational status or cultural practices. As Asian’s identity does not parallel with African Americans or European Americans, they become the other as they’re not good or bad. This status is perpetually imprinted in many first- and second-generation Asian American as few Asian-American are represented in media, especially women. However, with the few Asians in popular media their roles are often followed by racial stereotypes. Common stereotypes represent Asian women as hyper-feminized as they’re represented as exotic, demure, submissive, and docile (2003: 463); as a result, many men fetishize and set the male gaze onto them through objectification. Maria X. Liu comments on this in her article “On Being a Chinese- American Woman” in the Huffington Post; her experience as a Chinese - American has offered her many encounters of discriminated due to her race. Like the girls in Lee and Vaught’s case studies, Liu has experienced fetishization from men, casual racism from her peers and disconnection from their own race. Despite being raised in America, many Asian-Americans began to emulate other cultures as their own identity is seen as the Other. As illustrated by Lee and Vaught’s case study, the Hmong American high school girls associate with Black urban youth and culture while Asian American College women follow a more mainstream (White) style. However, both groups are dictated by a form of standardized beauty that reflects on attaining a White beauty aesthetic (2003: 462). This White beauty aesthetic is dominated in media and popular culture in America; from cosmetic commercials to beauty magazines, the models in the advertisements are usually White, thin and young. As Asian-American women attempt to change themselves by dieting, conforming to a western style and changing their physical appearance like bleaching their hair and wearing

coloured contact lenses, they’re ultimately rejecting any evidence of their Asianness (2003: 463). Young Asian-American women tend to follow conventional White trends other than beauty — such as wearing name-brand clothes and dating White men — to be accepted and incorporated into a White middle-class society. To further explain, by wearing name-brand clothes that are popular a trend among popular culture Asian-Americans can emulate the representation of an American. By using and consuming the clothes to enhance their identity, this follows Holt’s analysis on consumption as integration in “How Consumers Consume” (1995:192). By appropriating the clothes, Holts comment that the Asian-American is applying and assimilating to their constructed ideals (1995: 193). Another thing to note is Asian-Americans belief on how clothes can change how others represent them. By following these trends, they’re conforming to a generalized form of American culture that is reflected in popular and consumer culture images of White beauty to assimilation with the dominant (White) American identity. Like clothes, Asian-American women are attracted White men as they are express and symbolize the hegemonic masculinity which reflects on their identity through the association of White men (2003: 463). As previously noted, Asian men are feminized in America as they don’t adhere to traditional views of masculinity in America; due to this, many Asian women are more attracted to White men instead of Asian men. Again, this behavior is repeated in popular media as Hollywood only show male love interested as White. However, due to the exoticization of Asian women in the eyes of White American men, Asian women’s foreignness attracts them through mere stereotypes.; in a way, this only confirms their identity as a forever foreign (2003: 463 - 464). As young Asian-American began to absorb into America’s society, the popular media and social works affect their own representation of self.

As my topic focuses on young Asian women, I choose to have my field study at my school Ontario College of Art and Design College University. So on the 13th of March on a Tuesday afternoon around 3 pm, I observed the students that attend OCAD by walking around the area and taking note of the people and their actions. I kept my eye on the Asian Community and Asian women to understand how they represent themselves in Canada. Unlike America, Canada understands that foreign culture is distinct in their own ways in their idea of multiculturalism. By allowing ethnic groups, language, and culture to coexist with each other, it allows immigrants to still be connected with their countries. By staying in the school for two or three hours, I was able to notice that many different types of first - and second - generation people mix together while those who newly came to Canada stay within their ethnic group.

Firstly, I noticed that those who are first and second generation Asian Canadian are dressed differently compared to the recent immigrants, also called FOBs (Fresh off the boat). Mentioned in the article, Lee and Vaught address a distinct distance between Asian-Americans and FOBs as seen in the case study 1. The young Hmongs express this distance as they disassociate and reject them. As first- and second- generation Asian Canadians are dress more western but in different distinct styles. The majority of them dress very casually in jeans and a hoodie due to the school environment. However, some are dressed more feminine and wear more makeup that follows more Western standards. On the contrary, the FOBs are distinctly separated by a class system; those who are more affluent dressed in a more expensive brand live more lavishly and is skinnier. They’re often dress in black with oversized top and tight bottoms as their fashion focuses on more Eastern standards. Like Lee and Vaught’s second case study, OCAD’s Asian- Canadian students follow similar self-presentation to the female college students in the south.

Those who aren’t as affluent are dressed more conservative casual style. While Asian-Canadians seem to embrace a healthier and active lifestyle to achieve conventional Western beauty standards, Eastern beauty standard follows specific ideals such as double eyelids, pale skin, small and skinny frame, and a feminine appeal. Through this, it shows that in Canada young Asian women have similar ideals as young Asian-Americans in their perspective of self through attire and physical appearance.

Bibliography:

Holt, Douglas B. “How Consumers Consume: A Typology of Consumption Practices.” Journal of Consumer Research 22, no. 1 (June 01, 1995): 187-202. Accessed March 15, 2018. doi:10.1086/209431.

Lee, Stacey J., and Sabina Vaught. “”You Can Never Be Too Rich or Too Thin”: Popular and Consumer Culture and the Americanization of Asian American Girls and Young Women.” The Journal of Negro Education72, no. 4 (2003): 457-66. doi:10.2307/3211196.

Liu, Maria X. “On Being a Chinese-American Woman.” The Huffington Post. October 16, 2015. Accessed March 13, 2018.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/maria-x-liu/on-being-a-chinese-american-woman_b_8298920.h tml.