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ASIAMS.NET |
ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
Kristin Kreuk: Next Asian American Beauty?
t isn't a question of droolworthiness. Her looks are dazzling enough to have locked up a lead role in each of her first three auditions, including the title role in an upcoming TV movie. It's more a question of whether most of us would identify hazel-eyed Smallville heartthrob Lana Lang as a fellow Asian.
Kristin Laura Kreuk was born to a Chinese mother and a Dutch father on December 30, 1982. She grew up in Vancouver, Canada. Kreuk, 5-4, had decided to go to college to study forensic pathology until, in her senior year, her drama teacher suggested she go to an audition for a new Fox Family series called Edgement. She was promptly plucked out of the open audition to play a Chinese Canadian high scool student named Laurel Yeung. Even as she won fans in the role, she landed the Lana Lang role for WB's dramatization of Superboy's life as Clark Kent, then the role of Snow White in the ABC TV movie set for release in 2002. Kreuk's star-quality was obvious to all who tuned in for Smallville's premiere last October. Some even proclaimed her the show's main attraction.
But many Asian American viewers didn't even suspect Kreuk's Asian ancestry. Even those who learned of her mother's nationality questioned whether she can be claimed by Asian Americans. Without an Asian surname or obvious Asian facial features, they argue, Kreuk's success would do nothing for the image of Asians in the American media. Others might argue that most African American stars are, in fact, only fractionally of African descent.
Should we claim Kristin Kreuk and other hapas like her as Asian American celebrities? Or should that designation be reserved for those with a more obviously Asian identity?
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WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
(Updated
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 06:00:15 PM)
She's hot and just leave it at that.
AZN PRIDE
Thursday, April 11, 2002 at 22:22:27 (PDT)
why put a claim to her ethnicity? just accept her as being blessed by having two parents from different ethnicities that found a common ground (love) and that their union resulted in something else unique and, obviously, nice to look at.
hmmmmm
far_lived@yahoo.com
Thursday, April 11, 2002 at 13:28:11 (PDT)
Yeah, they are mixed. But what about Vietnamese women??? I've been to Vietnam, Korea, China and i must say plenty of women are far prettier than Kristen Kreuk. Just look at korean women! they are one of the most beautiful women in Asia. and in general, i don't think we can easily find out a mixed girl in Korea..
I am against generalizations
Tuesday, April 09, 2002 at 22:50:56 (PDT)
huu76:
"About the students in HK. I'm assuming you meant they don't sound native HK. My point is that kids over here can speak English perfectly and Chinese or whatever good enough."
Nope, I mean about 3/4 of the CBCs and maybe 1/6 of the ABCs can hold up any form of actual conversation in some Chinese dialect. The others not in the above categories are those speak only English, or those who cannot communicate beyond memorised phrases and simple information exchange (i.e. "1 plate of char siu rice please" and "where's the bathroom") and who could not understand conversation falling outside those parameters.
"Unless your FOB, you'd probably speak english to other ABC's wouldn't you? So it wouldn't really matter too much if only your parents understood you. Then again, I don't know enough FOB people."
The basic test of real ability in a language is whether you can make a friend who speaks only that language and not yours. Besides meeting FOBs is the only real way to really maintain your culture.
T.H. Lien
Monday, April 08, 2002 at 20:09:21 (PDT)
Lien:
You make valid points.
No one gives Kristen benefit of the doubt because she's half. Regardless if she looks more Asian (I think she does) or white, she can choose. If you're fully Asian, you won't have a choice regardless.
Until it does come up in an interview, to me she won't be an Asian actress. She's white until proven Asian.
About the students in HK. I'm assuming you meant they don't sound native HK. My point is that kids over here can speak English perfectly and Chinese or whatever good enough.
Unless your FOB, you'd probably speak english to other ABC's wouldn't you? So it wouldn't really matter too much if only your parents understood you. Then again, I don't know enough FOB people.
I don't really hear anyone whining, just stating whether or not each one of us thinks she's one or the other. Besides, if she knew, she probably wouldn't care anyway.
huu76
Sunday, April 07, 2002 at 22:06:21 (PDT)
MLK:
I know a few Mexicans who could pass for Vietnamese or Filipino. Put them on TV and the Asian-American community will be cheering for them? Kinda shows what I've always known about Asian-American community ... doesn't care about culture and language, only outward appearance.
huu76:
I stated that plenty of kids who came over to the US in high school now speak English acceptably enough that you can't tell they are overseas-born.
But regardless, lots of people who speak native or native-sounding English still know they'd sound out of place on TV.
"Show me where I can find out whether or not she acknowledges her asian culture (other than mentioning her mother). Until you do, she's no more of an asian celebrity than Keanu."
Never comes up in interviews. Maybe she doesn't wanna play into this whole game of having to represent the damn Asian-American community which is just gonna whine about how she looks white regardless of her cultural background. Or maybe she's raging whitewashed sellout. No evidence either way. But I don't see anyone giving her the benefit of the doubt on this one as would be extended to anyone who looked full Asian and made some superficial BS statements about supporting the Asian-American community.
"Show me an ABA who can't speak native when both of their parents can."
You're joking, right? I'm in HK right now, at a university with maybe 100 ABC/CBC exchange students, I've heard about 4 people who could pass for native speakers, out of like 80% whose parents are both immigrants (presuming the trend here follows the whole Chinese population in America). Maybe another 10 or 20 who can understand and reply to everyday conversation without using a conspiciously high ratio of English words (i.e. more than the average HKer), though with an American accent.
"If your parents understand you, then isn't that acceptable."
Not unless the only people you're gonna talk with for the rest of your life are your parents. Acceptable in the context of linguistic ability means socially acceptable.
"Do you guys consider TigerWoods asian too"
Nah. The guy doesn't speak Thai. This is confirmed information.
"Now show me what a "man" you are Lien."
I stand behind my arguments and state my positions as clearly as I am able.
T.H. Lien
Friday, April 05, 2002 at 11:19:12 (PST)
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