Asian American Beauty – Female Body Image (Part 1 of 2)
Posted on Thursday, October 15th, 2009 at 6:15 am
Directed and edited by Calvin Sun. Produced by Aretha Choi, Marilla Li, and Calvin Sun.
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8XWQ62HdCs
***WINNER of the audience favorite “One to Watch Award” in the longest running Asian American film festival in the world; the 30th Annual Asian American International Film Festival!!!***
This is part 1 of 2 in a film discussing the Asian American opinion on female 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.
This video does not aim to cover every single ground regarding the topic; instead it seeks to begin dialogue with a generalized approach to the problems as a first step. We want first to show that Asian Americans are like any other American struggling with issues of body image while at the same time facing pressures coming from their own respective cultures.
This video certainly focuses on the former point; We hope that the latter will be explored more in the future.
We also must reveal the contradiction of how Asian American girls are pressured in this society to look both “western” and “Asian.”
This includes pressures on how many Asian American girls are supposed to play up this well-known image of looking innocent, weak, and petite as “attractive”, but at the same time mainstream media depicts Asian American females as alluring, “exotic,” and sexy.
We hope that the people in this video will inspire others around the world to undertake similar projects that would focus deeper into these issues regarding body image and perhaps more specifically Asian American body image.
Therefore, this is only the beginning.
Produced by Aretha Choi & Marilla Li.
Directed & edited by Calvin Sun.
For more information, please contact aaa@columbia.edu
Dedicated to my father,
Alexander S. Sun
1939-2006
calvin.sun@columbia.edu
Duration : 0:7:31
[youtube mv-WI6Vlrpk]
Lady Onassis Gloves
bulldog costume
baby room themes
wall clock camera
Oh how I love …
Oh how I love explosions in the sky….
another problem is …
another problem is when you described your preference for Asian American women, you focused entirely on the stereotypical physical attributes that has been tantamount to the kind of objectifying language of the long history of men who fetishize Asian American women. If you truly believe you don’t have a fetish, then I would reevaluate how you express yourself because you come across as very objectifying.
If your aim was to …
If your aim was to make them feel better then you could have done a far better job instead of saying how you “dislike” them for speaking out against a culture that constantly pressures young teenagers to abide by a standard of beauty. In fact, they are being most themselves by being outspoken and not some quiet, passive stereotype of what people perceive most Asian American women to be.
I actually wrote …
I actually wrote that for you guys to feel good about yourselves instead of the complaining that i hear in this video. Be yourself and enjoy yourself insted of being who someone else wants you to be. Its not a fetish. Southeast Asia has alot of smart, funny, caring and loving skinny Asian females and if i thats who i choose to be with then thats who im going to be with and not some Asians who were either born here or either brought here and think they have to be like females around them.
We think you’re …
We think you’re either an internet troll looking for attention or that you are actually a real person who didn’t understand the video, enjoys objectifying women, and that you relish in your fetish because you are unsuccessful with women.
We hope for your sake and self-esteem that it is the former.
Im a black guy and …
Im a black guy and have only dated Asian women..i dislike asians that are here and feel they have to be tanned just because they are in the West. just give me a pale asian that is 100 lbs, with a small butt, small chest preferably A cup, with small feet and im happy because im dealing with anyone that strives to be what the West wants if she is pale. What do you guys think?
im chinese with a …
im chinese with a jamaican grand dad. i look phili cuz im dark and have some defined features that asians generally dont have. but chinese people prefer to look pale than dark. its so hard to try to fit in that way. im small to the canadian family i have but my family in hongkong think im big. its so confusing and its so stressing. i think the hardest part is the eyes. the deepset eyes that asian would die for. but none the less we are beautiful. we all are no matter race or age
hate to brust your …
hate to brust your bubbble im not on anybody side but the most ppl on welfare is single white women it the truth so plz dont say that
esther was her name
esther was her name
Girl in grey jumper …
Girl in grey jumper, you are asian beauty epitomized
4.41, very …
4.41, very beautiful
And I think that none of them is ugly. Everyone has it’s own personal look.
Ew, why would you …
Ew, why would you want to look more asian?
The REAL GIRL NEXT …
The REAL GIRL NEXT DOOR wants to play
DATEHERWOW (.COM)
3:19 – hottest girl …
3:19 – hottest girl I’ve ever seen but still mad stressed about her looks lol
Ok If all These …
Ok If all These ASIAN girls have all these pressure of their looks being bad, then Y do So many Guys like them expecially WHITE MALE. I’ve seen 5′0 Asian girl with like 6′0 white dude.
I know this …
I know this probably has nothing 2 do with pretty much anything, but I love asian people, what a gorgeous race of humans. African Americans as well… always have.
I just feel like no …
I just feel like no matter how much people try to make themselves feel good and stuff, the standards will not change, thin is considered beautiful, and as much as I hate to see it I think that being thin is beautiful. Its sad to see how hard girls work to be SUPER skinny, ESPECIALLY asians and I’m one of those girls who eats really little and does lots of exercise to stay really skinny. I lived in Japan most my life and I am 160 cm tall and 43 kg.
I am proud to be an …
I am proud to be an Asian American female.
Hey – I’m an older …
Hey – I’m an older white guy and – all I can say is – all of the people in this video look fine to me. The young women are beautiful and the young men are handsome. To all young Asian people: Please don’t think that there is anything wrong with how God made you. Asian eyes are beautiful, not ugly. I think they’re more beautiful than Caucasian eyes.
Um… so if there’s …
Um… so if there’s a white guy here, where’s a black guy?…..
Interesting document.
yawn
yawn
Asian women mostly …
Asian women mostly look HOT. Chinese, Korean, Filipina, etc. are also included in my Asian definition. On Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipina, etc., their nose looks good. Nothing wrong with it at all. I like their facial characteristics. hehehe..
i’m 1/8 caucasian, …
i’m 1/8 caucasian, 3/8 filipino and half korean
well done
i’m …
well done
i’m a ballet dancer and i see so many beautiful asian women starving themselves needlessly…
I love this. I …
I love this. I thought I was alone being an asian-american and not being thin. My family has pressured me to be “thin”.
Then watching this I know I’m not alone.
I’m almost on the verge to tears. My family is so traditional with everything. And they wonder why I’m chubbier then I should be.
I love the people who made this.