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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, 06:00:07 PM)
Madmoislle,
I think you'd be happy to know that most people that I know think half-Asian-half-Caucasian people are cute. Go visit Japan. I bet most people there think you are very cute!
Red Red Seashell
Tuesday, June 18, 2002 at 09:46:42 (PDT)
to Madmoislle:
u r so right!! i am chinese and caucasian and being biracial is a beautiful thing. it doesnt make u ugly. only ignorant people think race is a matter of extreme importance, and they are ugly. thank u for your comment.
lilywater47
Monday, June 17, 2002 at 23:10:52 (PDT)
Madmoislle:
Yeah, but it isn't likely many Asians would feel any kind of cultural connection with her. Her mother is Indonesian Chinese who doesn't speak any Chinese language. Kristin herself doesn't seem to have much of any Asian influence at all on her life, but says she is just now hoping to learn about her roots. I was once in the same situation as her - I'm half Asian, and my mother is also overseas Chinese who can't speak any Chinese whatsoever. But I still got my friends to teach me Chinese, because I didn't have any expectation that Asian people should accept me if I didn't.
T.H. Lien
Monday, June 17, 2002 at 17:15:04 (PDT)
When someone makes a comment about another Asian not being beautiful because they are only half-Asian, it sounds very ignorant. And as for her not knowing Chinese? If you don't know the situation you can't really comment on it. I come from a family where my dad is English and my mother is Japanese. Being half-Asian doesn't make you unattractive. It's isgnorance that makes a lot of people in this world ugly. All I know is that she is a very talented actress and she should keep up the great work!
Madmoislle
Saturday, June 15, 2002 at 21:52:20 (PDT)
to red red seashell:
yes what u say is true. however, all fully asian stars are hailed and recognized as being asian. they don't get a choice. so u could label kristin as an asian star since all her fully asian counterparts are. ideally everyone could choose, but our world is not so racially undivided (sadly).
lilywater47
Monday, June 10, 2002 at 17:19:22 (PDT)
If the purpose of setting an Asian-American (or Asian-Canadian in Kristin Kreuk's case) role model is to encourage more fellow Asians to succeed, then dear Kristin Kreuk would not be a good example. She does not look so Asian, so the showbiz big shots who hire her do not get credit for recognizing Asian ethnic groups. I'd love to identify her as an Asian fellow because she looks so adorable. But it is really up to her to want to be identified as an Asian fellow or not. This is the same with anybody with partially or even fully Asian ancestry. This is a free country. We can't force people to feel how we feel.
Red Red Seashell
redshell00@yahoo.com
Monday, June 10, 2002 at 09:51:18 (PDT)
I only consider them asian if they have done something for the asian community. Celebrities like Dean Cain only identifies with the group that benefits them. When Asian culture is "in", they are "proud" to be Asian and appear in every single Asian magazine cover.However, when we are being made fun of or critisized. Where the hell are these so called " Asian Americans" standing up for us?
jc
Sunday, June 09, 2002 at 20:01:54 (PDT)
to alicialover:
no actually madonna is 5'4". not that it matters at all.
hennrax
Saturday, June 08, 2002 at 18:22:08 (PDT)
Yeah, Dharma that would be great. Is that all Kristin Kreuk said about being hapa? I myself am half Malaysian-Chinese so I can see why she feels uncomfortable being an Asian role model in some ways. Not because she's ashamed, but if she can't speak Chinese (like myself) you could feel a little 'fake', like your not properly Chinese to reperesent the Asian community. It's interesting to hear her view.
Dee
Saturday, June 08, 2002 at 06:13:05 (PDT)
Does Kristin Kreuk have to announce that she's Asian? She never said that she wasn't. And the only people that would have a thing against her if they knew that she was half Asian are really messed up.
Camille Rose Wolaver
roseangel2001@mac.com
Friday, June 07, 2002 at 13:03:48 (PDT)
to "give her a break":
Alicia Silverston is not 5'-3". She is 5'-6". I love Alicia Silverstone! She's hot.. and Madonna is around 5'-6" also.
Kristin is hot also. The majority of you would agree. Now why are so many of you irritated about her not announcing her enthnicity? It'd be better for her career that she don't openly declare that she's asian for marketability purposes. She is not denoucing her half asian ethnicity and she never said that she isn't proud of it.
alicialover
Friday, June 07, 2002 at 00:53:11 (PDT)
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