Asian PersuASIAN: The World Needs More Representation

​Note: Spelling freaks (like me), hold your horses, it's persuASIAN. Get it?! Ok please don't kill me now.

I normally use this platform to talk about living in Italy but I thought I'd take this opportunity to post about something that is also just as close to my hearts as pasta is- being proud of your origins.

If there's something that being a straniera in Italy has taught me it is that we are all blessed in Canada to be able to embrace our roots and share a diversity of cultures with those around us. I'm a proud Chinese-Canadian which means I love dim sum as much as poutine but I wouldn't want to identify as anything else. With the pending release of film adaptations of the bestsellers Crazy Rich Asians and To All The Boys I've Loved Before, I thought it the right time to do a *virtual standing ovation*.

IT'S ABOUT TIME. It's about time we have a major Hollywood movie with a full Asian cast representing a huge variety of Asian countries. It's about time we have an Asian protagonist in a teenage high school rom-com through the stunning Lana Condor who was born in Vietnam and raised in Chicago. When I really think about it, this is a key moment for anyone with a drop of Asian blood in them, for the first time in my (almost) 30 years, Asian heroines will be taking the front page and the final bow. We had a blip of this back when The Joy Luck Club was released but that's all it managed to be, a fleeting moment gone too soon. I should probably mention that Mulan was also a small exception but animation doesn’t count because I want to see our own flesh and blood out there making it happen. I’m a particular advocate of Asian representation in fine arts as my extremely talented little brother Jordan (below) is in this field and so I’ve seen firsthand that roles are scarce and as such, you don’t see as many young people with Asian backgrounds out there pursing acting, dancing, and musical theatre and it's a shame. I imagine there's tons of hidden talent out there just waiting to be discovered, to be given a chance. 

Another example is one of my best friends and former pharmacy colleague Natalia Chai who I did the shoot you see below with; it was shot by Edmonton-based photographer, Tyler McIntyre. She is an extremely talented (yes, everyone I know is just killing it) singer-songwriter. Try to think of one mainstream Asian singer. Did you come up with anyone? Probably not and even if you did, how long did it take to think of that person? Natalia is breaking boundaries with her soulful voice and penchant for R&B, a genre not often touched by Asian singers. She's just returned back to my city- Edmonton, Alberta, after a whirlwind tour of China and her star has never shone so bright. So to end this post, I just want to say that my brother, Natalia, Lana Condor, and the entire cast of Crazy Rich Asians deserve not only representation but APPRECIATION. They deserve the spotlight and the standing ovations and the encores that I hope with all my heart they will soon get because it’s about time and the world is ready for this. The world is ready for us. WORD. ​

Make sure to check all these talents out, I've linked in the text to their websites or Instagram and the trailers for Crazy Rich Asians and To All The Boys I've Loved Before are embedded above. 

More of  Tyler's work here:
Website:
tylermcintyrephotography.myportfolio.com
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Instagram:
@tylermcintyrephotography​
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​If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to "dare un'occhiata" at these ones:
​Dating Diversity: Italy vs. Canada (and North America)
Asians and Italians…The Perfect Cross-Cultural Cocktail? ​
​My Canadian Identity Abroad in Italy: The Conundrum
Two Sides of the Italy Coin ​
I Colori dell'Amore (Colors of Love): A Commentary on Mixed Unions
​Hardships of the Non-White Expat in Italy