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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, 06:00:04 PM)
I would consider Kristin Kreuk asian because she has asian blood in her. Even though she has green eyes, which is ultimately rare to find in an asian person, she still has asian blood in her. She does look chinese in some pictures like the one on www.kristinkreuk.net in the beginning when you first enter the sight. She may not know how to speak the language but her mother is chinese so that makes her asian. If you don't consider her asian just because she doesn't look it then that's narrow minded because then you're saying that if a person is an african american and just because he doesn't look it, maybe he might be lighter than others of his race, then he is not considered african? I have many mixed friends and i still consider them japanese, filipino, viet, or mexican, whether they are mixed or not, because they have "derived" from those races. If you're saying Kristin isn't asian then you're saying that in order to be considered a certain race or categorized in that race then you would have to be full and not mixed at all. What would you consider her then? What about all the others out there that are mixed? What category would you put them under? If you think she doesn't have any asian features then you're obviously not looking at the girl everybody is talking about. Look at her hair and the way her eyes chink up when she smiles. If that's not asian then what is?
Hong
h0ng_nguyen@yahoo.com
Friday, August 09, 2002 at 03:04:31 (PDT)
AeNoy:
"if you look at it halle barry is half white and half black but is recognized as the first "black" woman who has won the academy award, so why shouldn't she be plus she's hot and asian hmmmmmm sexy"
all the time growing up, Halle Berry's blonde mama kept telling her "You are black" and ensured she identified with black people, had black friends, absorbed black culture, etc. it's not too likely kristen kreuk can unequivocally consider herself Asian in that same way.
T.H. Lien
Thursday, August 08, 2002 at 16:47:28 (PDT)
yes we should claim her as an asain american celebrity. if you look at it halle barry is half white and half black but is recognized as the first "black" woman who has won the academy award, so why shouldn't she be plus she's hot and asian hmmmmmm sexy
AeNoy
Thursday, August 08, 2002 at 01:18:56 (PDT)
Well, even though she doesn't have obvious Chinese features, she doesn't have obvious Dutch features either.
Smurf
Wednesday, August 07, 2002 at 16:02:41 (PDT)
she is mintttttt
chi
superchiboy@hotmail.com
Tuesday, August 06, 2002 at 20:23:33 (PDT)
American Chick:
"Since you say Mexicans don't consider Guatamalens "honorary Mexicans" even though they share a similar culture then the US shouldn't consider Canadians "honorary Americans""
No. Canada, like the United States, is a multicultural nation which extends to immigrants from all over the world who come there for purpose of permanent residency, the courtesy of first being treated as honorary Canadians, and then, when they naturalize, Canadians. We share a culture with Canada as expressed in this "nation of immigrants" philosophy, as well as a common language. I see nothing inconsistent in calling Kristen an honorary US American - she's from the same ideological sphere as us, grew up speaking the common language which belongs to all the citizens of both our nations, whether immigrant or native born, and was immersed in a similar pop culture. Mexico is distinctly not a multicultural nation which extends to immigrants from all over the world the courtesy of being treated as honorary Mexicans - they won't even extend this courtesy to people from the same general cultural sphere as them, such as Guatemalans. Though Mexicans who come here for permanent residence shouldn't be treated any differently than other US Americans or aspiring US Americans, I wouldn't consider a Mexican transient resident who comes here for the purpose of acting in a TV show to be US American. Quid pro quo.
"Those are part of my lineage...my blood but my nationality is American."
My nationality is American too. My lineage is just as mixed as you. But I call myself Chinese regardless. If you dropped me in Germany, Armenia, Malaysia, or the Philippines there's absolutely no reason for the Germans, Armenians, Malays, or Filipinos to accept me as one of their own, so I don't demand it. By a similar token it's hard to accept Kristen as an Asian.
T.H. Lien
Monday, August 05, 2002 at 17:51:32 (PDT)
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