There’s an ignorant notion prevalent in American society that Asia only consists of China, Japan, and Korea. Basically, if you don’t have light skin and small eyes, people assume you’re not really Asian. Even in the media, whenever a show or movie is described as having an Asian lead, it’s almost never a South Asian because we don’t look “Asian enough.” Growing up as an Indian-American, this was really confusing and even damaging at times. I was constantly asked/told things like, “If you’re Asian… then how are you Indian?” or “I don’t really consider you Asian because you don’t have tight eyes,” or my personal favorite, “You’re Indian? Dot or feather?”
Photo by unknown via Sabyasachi
Yes, those are all actual things people have said to me. While these comments are not only ignorant, they’re damaging; it causes South Asians to feel excluded from the general Asian category. It also reinforces ignorant beliefs about the world. For example, the belief that all Muslims must come from the Middle East, when in fact several countries in South Asia have significant Muslim populations. It further reinforces the idea that these cultures are “strange” or “weird”, when in fact they’re cultures that have been around for centuries and just never receive proper media representation. This leads to even more issues; the fetishization of South Asian women as “exotic” or “mysterious,” or the stereotyping of South Asian men as socially awkward IT nerds.
Photo by Maria Qamar
It’s really easy to dismiss this ignorance, however it needs to be talked about. At a certain point, it’s tiring having to consistently explain these differences to people who refuse to learn basic geography. It’s tiring having to tell people that Asia is an enormous continent with several countries, all containing different cultures and great variety in regards to people’s physical appearance. It’s tiring having our culture improperly represented in the media and consistently feeding in to overdone tropes.
Photo by Pax Jones
So the next time you hear the word “Asian,” please don’t assume it’s referring to someone with the stereotypical small eyes and light skin. People across Asia vary in skin tone, facial structure, and culture.