There’s the hypersexual and cunning type who probably knows some form of martial arts – the “Dragon Lady” trope. Then, on the flip side, there is the submissive and innocent type, who needs a more powerful (often white) man to tell her what to do – the “Lotus Blossom” or “China Doll” trope.
My mother never liked talking about her childhood. I grew up thinking she was from Los Reyes, Michoacan, Mexico; when I started writing this piece, I learned this was a lie. My mother is actually from Los Pallilos, Michoacan, in other words, el rancho. She describes this place as simple, a simple town with simple…
Despite the few pickup rounds of HORSE I played with my brother circa 2008 and my limited knowledge of Devin Booker and Kendall Jenner’s five minute relationship, my grasp on the game of basketball is scant. I’ve always been attracted to the sport, but I could never put my finger on why it seemed so…
Music and songwriting are crucial pieces of my identity, but as a woman I have begun to feel out of place in the music world. Music did not always feel so gendered. In elementary school, writing songs felt natural; a childish burst of creativity stemming from the same place as the urge to throw mud…
As we enter Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, it is imperative that we turn our eyes to Myanmar and what they have been facing for months now. As we take this month to celebrate and educate ourselves about the histories and narratives of AAPI communities, we must act in solidarity with Myanmar…
When I was ten years old, I started noticing the shoes boys wore in my class. They wore a mixture of Jordan 3s and 4s and I was envious. I rushed home to ask my dad to buy me a pair, but he refused, claiming they were a boy’s shoe and didn’t suit me. So…
My childhood dog’s name was Midnight. I adored her and would show her off to everyone in sight, but that soon changed when someone told me, “You should hide your dog from your dad, or he’ll eat it.” I did not understand what they meant by that until the comments continued. “Oh, you’re Filipino. You…
When Disney’s Aladdin premiered in 1992, its opening theme, “Arabian Nights”, sang softly of a “far away place” that is “barbaric – but hey it’s home.” In these lines, the American audience is removed from the comforts of their movie theaters or suburban homes and immersed into a foreign, rugged land characterized by savagery. For…
Memories of my childhood feel sweet and hazy. I recall going to the beach for hours on end, collecting seashells and building flimsy sandcastles. I think of my neighborhood friends with whom I’d create elaborate fictional universes, all of us acting as characters in the quiet corners of our cul de sac. I remember the…
I love being Taiwanese. But I am exhausted by it. I want my existence to be known, not debated.