Asian American 101 Guide to Dating

Being an Asian American, when it comes to dating and relationships it's different. First, you have two different cultural influences in your life: The Asian culture and the “American” culture. Typically, people tend to go towards people that are similar to them. I grew up in a mostly white community so I naturally started to be attracted to the people that were around me and whom I spent most of my time with, which is white people. The struggle I had to face is when white people that I liked, did not see it the same way due to my ethnic background. I can’t manipulate my face to have more white features. When I was younger, I tried really hard to have the clothes that all the white boys wore and all the shoes and socks. It was difficult for someone like me who was raised differently and looked differently to look and pretend that I was white. Now that I am in college and have gathered experiences from talking to people to seeing other people in the same boat, I have a better sense of what the real problem was. The problem I was having was the low confidence of my ethnic group. I didn’t like going out when I was younger because my parents would speak to me in Vietnamese and girls would look at me funny like “what is this kid saying?”. However, as I have gotten older and started to appreciate my heritage more, I am proud to be an Asian American not just American. Being proud of who you are with your unique backgrounds and characteristics is what makes you stand out of the crowd and makes people see who you actually are. Looks only account for first impressions, but your confidence and personality that you portray is what attracts people to you. This isn't just limited to ethnicity. It can be applied for people that are trying to change who they are just to try to be “cool”. For those of you who are also going through a similar struggle, I highly recommend the graphic novel, “American Born Chinese”. It's a fantastic read and a super casual way to express a deep message. Be ok with who you truly are.