We’ve never done this before. This post is literally just a series of tweets, which should apply to every minority, no matter what your race, sexuality, or gender. Representation matters. Kimberly says it all just perfectly….
You’re 8 years old.
Your 3rd grade class orders chinese food & your father delivers it. You are so excited to see your pops in school. He’s your hero. But apparently other kids don’t think he’s so cool. They laugh at him and mimic his accent. You don’t want to be Chinese anymore. pic.twitter.com/6vW9DXZK6x— Kimberly Yam (@kimmythepooh) August 18, 2018
You’re 9 years old.
You attend ballet camp. Someone tells you that another girl *hates* you. She thinks your eyes are an “ugly shape.” You don’t have the vocabulary to describe why that’s hurtful. But now, you hate your distinctly Asian face. You don’t want to be Chinese anymore.— Kimberly Yam (@kimmythepooh) August 18, 2018
You’re 16 years old.
It’s Halloween & 2 students come to class dressed as “Asian tourists.” They’ve taped their eyes back, strapped cameras around their necks and chucked up peace signs. You feel uncomfortable. When a teacher asks if you find the costumes offensive, you say no.— Kimberly Yam (@kimmythepooh) August 18, 2018
You don’t want people thinking you’re uptight. You laugh along with everyone else. You don’t want to be Chinese anymore.
— Kimberly Yam (@kimmythepooh) August 18, 2018
You’re 17 years old.
You’re off to college & you meet other Asians. They have pride that you never had. You meet a boy & he wonders why you don’t speak your family’s tongue. Why your favorite food is grilled cheese, not xiao long bao. You say your family doesn’t live that way.— Kimberly Yam (@kimmythepooh) August 18, 2018
But you know you rejected your culture a long time ago. You know you refused to speak Chinese & you remember calling your mother’s food “disgusting.” It’s fucked. It clicks. It’s a race to reclaim everything you’ve hated about yourself. For the 1st time, you want to be Chinese.
— Kimberly Yam (@kimmythepooh) August 18, 2018
You’re 20 years old.
You’ve spent the past several years repatriating yourself. You get your family’s name inked into your skin. That character is there forever. You won’t let anyone make you feel the way you did all those years ago. You love being Chinese.— Kimberly Yam (@kimmythepooh) August 18, 2018
You’re 25 years old.
You see a movie with an all-asian cast at a screening and for some reason you’re crying and you can’t stop. You’ve never seen a cast like this in Hollywood. Everyone is beautiful.
You’re so happy you’re Chinese. #CrazyRichAsians #RepresentationMatters— Kimberly Yam (@kimmythepooh) August 18, 2018
