1. Bodywise.  Asian and Pacific Islander Girls. 1995

This article talks about the prevalence of eating disorders among the Asian population.  It states how many Asian American girls are not satisfied with their overall appearance.  A study that was done which surveyed more than 900 middle school girls in California showed that Asian girls reported more dissatisfaction with their body than their Caucasian peers.  Asian American women have the  added pressure to fulfill the stereotype of being academically inclined as well as physically petite, which contributes to elevated stress levels.

This chapter in the book talks about the experiences of Katie Leung, an ABC (American born Chinese), and the identity crisis that she struggles with.  Starting in kindergarten, Katie felt isolate because her slanted eyes and black hair distinguished herself from the rest of the population.  She talks about how she attempted to conform to Western culture by purchasing designer clothes, dating American boys, and rebelling against her parents.  Katie Leung experienced what is known as a culture clash with her parents, which is very typical of any immigrant/1st generation Asian American.

2. Leung, Katie. Asian American X: ABC for Life. University of Michigan Press. 2004

This chapter talks about the Uyen-Khanh, an Asian American that struggled through bulimia after being sent away to college at Harvard.  Back in her home town, Uyen identified well with the Asian crowd and had a lot of ethnic pride because she was both smart and beautiful.  However, after being sent away to college, she realized she had lost her uniqueness because all the other Asian girls were both smarter and thinner than she was which caused her to develop an eating disorder.

The model minority stereotype assumes Asian Americans to be submissive, passive, nerdy, and hard working.  The Asian culture of import racing is an example of how Asian Americans assert themselves not only as masculine, but sexually inclined.  Import racing requires skill and money to modify one’s vehicle to make it faster for competition and physically appealing.  In addition, import models that are sexually appealing and attractive are also a huge part of import racing.  In fact, some even argue that it is demoralizing for women due to the high level of eroticism.  Import racing is just an example of conformity to Western culture with an Asian twist.

The model minority is a term used to label Asian Americans because of their overall success rate, which is measured by factors such as median household income, education levels, occupation, and academic excellence.  In general, Asian Americans surpass the White population in many of these categories.  In addition, Asian Americans were said to have eluded discrimination without political or physical confrontation such as in the Civil Rights movement.  However, the model minority is a myth and is simply a negative stereotype that stems from positive traits.  In addition, Asian Americans cannot be represented as a homogenous community – closer examination of the subgroups reveals that they are not “model minority”, whatsoever.

Asian Americans already struggle with an identity crisis because they have to both identify as Asian as well as American.  Most realize that this requires a delicate balance because one cannot associate too much with one side.  Dana Takagi introduces the idea of what happens in the case of homosexual Asian Americans.  Not only do they have to find their ethnic identity, but their sexual identity as well.  In summary, they are a minority of a minority, which makes it especially difficult for them as they experience more discrimination.

This website provides general statistics of Asian Americans in comparison to other ethnicities such as African American, Native American, Caucasian, etc.  It also breaks down Asian Americans into sub-groups such as Hmong, Chinese, Korean, Cambodian, Vietnamese, which shows that when Asian Americans are not represented as a single homogenous community, they do not live up to the model minority stereotype.

This book touches on the model minority and why Asian Americans have earned themselves this label.  It also talks about the idea of aggregation, which is a concept that states that Asian Americans cannot be represented as a single homogenous community because the subgroups differ drastically in demographics.

This references talks about the controversies behind affirmative action and the effects it has on Asian Americans in general.  It shows that Asian Americans face higher admission standards than any other minority group.  It also talks about the new policies the UC system is considering to imply, which would greatly reduce the percentage of Asian Americans accepted.