asian american women in the modelling industry

i realized i only posted 5 blogs prior to this blog. and we're supposed to have 14 blogs by the end of the semester? and we have 6 weeks of school left. i need to step it up!

my reason for blogging at the moment is because i don't want to clean the house... :)

i was watching a re-run of ANTM (america's next top model) the other day and i forgot which "cycle" it was but they talked about how asian models aren't usually successful in the modelling world. my first reaction was "that's not fair." why is it that tall skinny caucasian women are considered "ideal"? i don't think this model issue applies to asians alone but to many women of color. i think society's acceptance of the color white being associated with the term "pure" and "good" makes people think of that color being ideal. and that's with anything. but i hate when it's applied to people. whenever you see a bad guy in a children's show or movie they're always dark colored, and sinister. the good guy is always in something shiny, white, light. i'm going off on a tangent.

another thought that came to mind while i watched this episode of ANTM: "do asian women result to import modeling because of the fact that they won't be successful in the modelling world?" how come asian women have to resort to this type of degrading, stereotypical, type of modelling? i wouldn't even know if i consider import modelling, modelling. i have a few friends who are "models" and most of the time they have to model almost naked. and these are both asian girls. if they were in a photoshoot, they have to be almost, if not completely, naked. very rarely do they get to model actual clothes. i would guess that part of the reason is that they aren't tall enough to meet the height requirements of a model that ANTM made up. i believe it was that you need to be taller than 5" 5' or 5" 7. something crazy like that. and most asian women are known to be small and petite. (i'm 4" 11'. i could never be a model in my life unless it was for children's clothing lol)

and can i just add that i hate the stuff that the asian import models have to wear. such skimpy clothing. it's just something that keeps us asian american women stuck to that slut kind of stereotype. it's these pictures and skimpy outfits that make men think we'll "love you long time."

the girl who was asian on ANTM was only half asian too. and she still didn't get even close to winning that season. just another issue for asian americans to make a change in.

-donna ;]

walk it out & the asian invasian

sorry guys i have failed at trying to make our layout pretty again.

in my closing 30 minutes before my second physics exam, i guess i'll talk about both the walk out (which i know was weeks ago) and our midterm.

as far as the walkout goes, i felt like we were a bit conned in going (scott.... lol) but we ended up having a pretty fun time. i mean i know it's not supposed to be fun and games. i know we were supposed to be protesting for a serious cause. i guess the part i found most exciting was walking down the middle of 19th avenue. that part was pretty amazing. what can i say, i'm not very activist, sorry. can i just state the hypocracy of not going to classes that you paid tuition for to protest the budget cuts and the raise in cost of tuition? let's not go to the class we paid for and lose even more money! yes, that's very convincing and helps us prove our point! it kind of seems a bit ungrateful. ehhh too controversial... i don't want to get all into it. i'm a bit passive when it comes to issues.

and as for our midterm, i would say that i found us to be pretty successful as a class. i mean we pulled through with the little amount of time and preparation that we were given. and i mean for the TA's to compare us to their classes is just a bit harsh. we made it by our deadline afterall. i think we should get some sort of credit for that. i think every group had their goods and bads. i know what ours were in the dance group. but over all i would say that as a class we deserve at least a A-. to get an A+ means you have to go above and beyond and everything has to be perfect. and let's face it, we weren't perfect, BUT we met all the requirements, all the criteria, and we did a pretty good job at it. the effort was there, the hard work was there, the pride was there. as a whole, this is how i feel. as individuals i know there were some who could care less about what we did for our midterm... that's their problem. i just hope they know that they're being carried by everyone else who did care in the class. that should make them feel guilty enough i suppose.

both events were good experiences. and that's it for now.

-Donna

(i'm so sleepy lol...)

A little late

Holy H-E- double hockey sticks. It’s been nearly 3 weeks since I’ve posted anything relevant to the class, but I’ll try today. Unlike many of my compatriots, I have been stuck in a ruck (work) and was unable to really do anything. At my age, you no longer get to experience the perks of being a college student. No longer am I afforded the luxuries of taking afternoon naps or hanging out with friends during the weekday. My free time is now taken up by work, work, and homework (in that order). Anyways, I digress from the main point of this post, which is a reflection of the mid-term.

The class period prior to the mid-term had me extremely concerned. Not only was the class graded on a joint collaboration, but we were also in such disarray during that time frame. It seemed as if everyone was in one of two states: panic or indifferent. As the time on the clock came to a conclusion, it seemed like there was an inkling of cohesion amongst the groups, but it was not enough to put me at rest. Just like everyone else, I had a couple mid-terms that needed to be handled (and handled them I did =D)

For the mid-term itself, I was working with the visual arts individuals. We ultimately decided to plaster stereotypes of Asians and somehow look the part. My stereotype was “All Asians eat cats and dogs.” At first, I didn’t really know what to do, but then decided to find an adorable animal that no one would even think of eating. I was really reluctant to bring my cat with me because she is a house cat. Luckily for me, Jeff was more than willing to let me hold his dog Keno for the midterm. As we prepared for the tasks at hand, I couldn’t help but feel terribly sorry for Keno. Although he(?) received plenty of loving attention, it was way too much for her to handle. Consequently, she ended up laying a liquidy goop of love on the front table.

After the logistics were finally finished, we set forth on our merry journey to spread some awareness about Asian adversity and discrimination. The group was large and the chant was loud. Without a doubt, it grabbed the attention of just about everyone outside, and many had puzzled looks on their faces. As we moved from one station to the next, a lot of people stared, but it did not seem to faze the individuals performing at the time. Since I had a sign around my neck and Keno in my arms, many people walked up to me. Some asked what was going on, while others just stopped by to pat Keno on the head.

By the end of the class period all groups had finished doing their respected section of the final. In a closing ‘ceremony’ we called out to a final “Isang Bagsak” and ended the class. The hands clamped down, and everyone let out an exhaustive cheer. The mid-term was over.