Hands down, my favorite editorial of the year so far. i-D once again, never disappoints. Click on for the rest of the editorial!
Kev Jumba’s “My Dad is Asian”
One of the biggest debates concerning Asian culture has been how Asian parent’s raise their children. The phrase “strict Asian parent” has become a well-known stereotype and yet many of us can find some truth in this. It is said that Asians pride themselves in their academic achievements and are generally pushed towards a successful career. But what is the price for this success? How often do we hear of Asians who are allowed only a limited social life and pushed towards their books instead. How many times have we heard the story of an Asian forced to pursue a career their parents want rather than follow their dreams. Is it worth it?
- Glee’s Mike Chang having difficulties getting his father to understand his love for dance.
Recently, this debate has stretched onto literature. “Tiger Mom” is the new phrase to describe a strict Chinese mother. The term was coined by Amy Chua in her book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother published in 2011. Chua writes of her own experiences dealing with a Tiger mom and argues that she is thankful for her upbringing. She is so thankful to her mother’s methods that she has become a Tiger mom herself. Needless to say, Chua’s praise of the Tiger mom lifestyle has become quite the controversy.
This led author Kim Wong Keltner to respond with her own book titled Tiger Babies Strike Back. Keltner delves into her own strict upbringing and claims that her book “examines why generations of kids have been made to feel inferior, isolated, suffocated, and humiliated in dogged pursuit of one goal: making their elders look good.” The book describes the various consequences of a tiger mom environment and how a child can be damaged by this way of life.
Keltner claims she meant nothing personal by her book and she is merely offering an alternative perspective to the “Tiger” lifestyle. Similarly, Chua comments that ultimately both authors come to the same conclusion- if the tiger-mom lifestyle works, it works brilliantly. If it fails, it is detrimental.
Both authors have brought up various points to their argument and have shown us that the debate of Asian parenting is far from over. Tell us what you think.
Click here to learn more about:
Amy Chua’s Battle Hymn of The Tiger Mom
Kim Wong Keltner’s Tiger Babies Strike Back
and Chua’s respond to Keltner.
Last season, Fox had very few successful outcomes. While we had high hopes for their newest multi-camera comedy Dads, the excitement may be short-lived. The comedy stars Seth Green and Giovanni Ribisi playing childhood friends (now in their thirties) whose lives are flipped upside down when their father’s decide to move in with them. The cast will also include one of our favorites, Brenda Song.
Unfortunately, the pilot preview fell short of our expectations. Aside from a few laughs, the preview began sounding problematic with Brenda Song forced into a schoolgirl outfit and performing a stereotypical “school girl laugh” in hopes to appease Chinese businessmen. We let out communal sigh of disappointment as this is followed by some racial comments played off as humor.
We can only hope that this was merely a poorly edited trailer instead of overly-used jokes about Asians. Check it out for yourself:
It is said that people become brutally honest during times of intoxication. We allow ourselves to feel heartbreak that we try to hold back, we tell people the things we are most afraid to admit, we even make mistakes- lots of them.
Watch Wong Fru’s most recent short “To Those Nights” as a reminder that the heart and mind wander to interesting places when under the influence of alcohol.
Kim Jo Kwang Su, one of Korea’s few openly gay film directors, will be holding Korea’s first gay marriage with his husband-to-be Kim Seung Hwan on September 7th. The director claims that he chose to announce his marriage to the public in hopes that homosexuals will soon be granted legal marriage rights. The two will be wedded with a ceremony, but the marriage will not be recognized legally in Korea.
The director’s fiance, Kim Seung Hwan commented, “I was able to stand here after receiving permission and support from my family, relatives and friends. My family was against my appearing before the public in person, and that′s why our wedding announcement was so delayed. They were worried about the slander that could come from some conservative groups; they weren′t against the marriage itself.” He then added that he wasn’t at all embarrassed of the relationship and the marriage to come.
Kim Jo Kwang Su claims that he is going to be inviting Moon Jae in (presidential candidate), Ban Ki Moon (UN Secretary General), and President Park Geun Hye. Kim states that by inviting people who hold leading positions in Korea, he hopes that they all can help in the advancement for the rights of the homosexual minority.
Kim Jo Kwang Su and Kim Seung Hwan are both very proud of their bold step towards equality. The director commented “Homosexuals should be given the same rights as heterosexuals. We’re going to work hard to legalize gay marriage in Korea.”
Pitch Perfect’s barely audible Lilly Onakuramara played by Hana Mae Lee
While I usually find myself rolling my eyes at most of the stereotypes concerning Asians, some of them puzzle me instead. In particular, there’s the myth that as Asians we are all naturally quiet people. But then there’s also the myth that as Asians we’re all naturally loud people. Confused? Yeah, we are too.
Joomi Lim and Xavier Ricolfi at their New York City showroom.
Statement Jewels
Joomi Lim employs skulls, spikes and titanium for an edgy, high-end jewelry line.
story by DAVID YI
photographs by VICTOR CHU
It’s an early Friday afternoon, and jewelry designer Joomi Lim and her partner in business and life, Xavier Ricolfi, are running out of time. They’re conducting a meeting in their New York City showroom with a potential distributor, while simultaneously directing contractors on how to set up the lighting in the new space. They take time to speak with this reporter, before dashing off to an event at Saks Fifth Avenue to promote their line, Joomi Lim.
“It’s always this busy,” Lim says, chuckling.
Although Mother’s Day has passed, we feel like everyday is appropriate to celebrate all the loving mother’s out there. Michael Luangrath certainly felt that he needed to show his mother how grateful he was for all her hard work. Raising the bar for all Mother’s Day surprises, Luangrath decided to give his mother what she always dreamed of: a house to call her own.
Documenting his Mother’s Day surprise, Luangrath’s video tells us the story of his mother’s battle with cancer. Although she beat that struggle, the family was left with an unbearable amount of medical bills and Mrs.Luangrath resorted to working seven days a week at her small business to try and support her family. It broke Luangrath’s heart to see his mother living in the tiny space she called her home, so he decided put all his efforts into giving her a house.
Prepare your tissues and watch Luangrath give his mother one of the most touching gifts we’ve ever seen:
There is no doubt that women still face challenges in the workspace. In some situations, we still have to fight for equal pay, equal opportunity, and even equal respect. Although I’d like to think we’ve come a long way, the struggle is clearly not over. It seems that we not only have to battle men’s negative perceptions of us, but also our perception of ourselves.
Recently, studies have shown that women will sell themselves short when working with men. A series of experiments was published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin where men and women were asked to work with one another. When given positive feedback, the women would tend to give more credit to the male and took less credit for themselves. While we may be quick to defend the female and point out that she is merely being modest, studies show that women react differently when working with other women. When their teammate is female, the woman in question does not undervalue her contribution like she did with the male teammate.
Upon discovering this disparity, the woman responsible for these studies, Michelle Haynes , commented “It underscores how the expectations women hold of themselves, and those they work with, influence how they process group feedback. Furthermore, it reveals that gender continues to play a role in how individuals derive these performance expectations.”
In the midst of fighting for higher ranking positions, why do we view our own contributions less favorably than then contributions of our male co-workers? Haynes adds that this mentality is “likely to impact how women view their efficacy at work and the degree to which they are likely to vie for competitive projects and promotions.” While fighting for equality must we also face our own negativity? Tell us what you think.
Read the original article here.
Photo source
Just when we thought he couldn’t get any cuter, Kai gives us his rendition of Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man”. The four-year-old fedora wearing cutie made his first appearance on The Ellen Degeneres Show in March and it seems like fans couldn’t get enough of him. Get ready to squeal your heart out with Kai’s passionate singing, cute pronunciation, and hand-holding.
