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ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
Kristin Kreuk: Next Asian American Beauty?
(Updated
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:59:59 PM)
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 school 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.]
You know I just saw pages on Princess ANgela of Liechtenstein. She is 11 years older than her husband and black.
With all these royal families marrying people with other races, we need to accept Kristin is both white and Asian. Also anyone one else who is bi or tri or quad racial is entitled to say what he/she is regardless of looks. If someone Indonesian and Dutch mixed is 100% Asian looking but says he/she is dutch then we need to respect that regardless of what they look like. Genotype that person is white so they are not lying.
We should state someone's ethnicity by how that person feels and their genotype. We shouldn't judge only by phenotype. ANyway European royals are having Asian, maybe black(PRincess Angela is 43 so it may not happen), and maybe Hispanic blood(Princess Maxima of Holland is Hispanic) babies.
WE need to rethink our perceptions of race especially since the European families are complicating matters themselves.
Traveller
Monday, November 11, 2002 at 12:56:47 (PST)
[208.14.6.170]
Kristen Kreuk's mother is an indonesian-chinese...
sen0rita
Saturday, November 09, 2002 at 09:03:52 (PST)
[202.156.2.154]
To Traveller. You wrote if the Prince said "I look Asian so I can't claim myself to be Nordic even though I'm Denmark's prince? The world tells me I'm only what I look like". Good argument! For those who knows the Prince, they will claim him to be Nordic. But for those who don't know him, it might be a different story. Lets say he traveled to Los Angeles all by himself. He enters a liquor store to get a taste of L.A. life and just his luck, he ends up with a jerk behind the counter. The store clerk just can't stand foreigners and he told the Prince "Go back to China!" The Prince said "I beg your pardon? I'm not from China, I'm from Norway." The store clerk punched him in the face and yelled "Yeah, right! You think I'm stupid or something, you prick!" I would suggest the Prince, not to walk by himself, because here in U.S. he's an Asian man first and Nordic second. I mean, none of this would of happened if he looked White.
If I meet you for the first time and I told you I'm Swedish, would you believe me? But by birth, the Prince have every right to claim he's Nordic. Just like you and I have every right to claim we're Americans. But unfortunately, what you look like dictates who you are.
Now back to that question. It's false in one count and true on the another. For the Danish people, he's the Danish Prince regardless of appearence and that's the way it should be. But for the people who don't know him, they assumes he's Asian and ask questions later. If he want to explain that he's the Prince of Norway, he should carry proof of that. Which is sad, because it's like, if we explain to the white people that we're American born citizens, we must carry our birth certificate. Just like if I told you I'm Swedish, would you ask me for proof?
TK Chang made a good agrument, did you read his post. It seems that Chang & I agrees that Kreuk is white and not consider an Asian American actress.
To TK Chang: have you read my past posts?
To Not to be pegged. I agree with your post about the one drop rule. Very well put. The Mayor must be a real bone head to reject person b. And you're right. Most people would accept him. Thank goodness it's just a story.
To Traveller again. Did I answer your question?
Masmak
Friday, November 08, 2002 at 17:44:57 (PST)
[216.244.24.131]
I think that we should not just take pride to our fellow asians for their outstanding works and contributions around the world, we should be proud of Kristin for she has an asian blood but we should not force ourselves to claim her to the extent of having other countries think of us as low- life people. I definitely agree with CHICAGOAN, the question is that If kristin actually claim if she is asian.
andrew_skywalker2004
andrewskywalker2004@yahoo.com
Friday, November 08, 2002 at 17:36:40 (PST)
[61.9.105.129]
i just love kristin kreuk. I first saw her in Snow White and she was just amazing. i can't take my eyes off her. she is pretty and a very good actress. Im Asian, Filipino specifically, and I think we should be proud of Kristin for she is our fellow Asian. More power to her and all the other Asian actresses and actors. We rule!!!
andrew_skywalker2004
andrew_skywalker2004@yahoo.com
Friday, November 08, 2002 at 17:23:08 (PST)
[61.9.105.129]
i looked up princess alexandra. she's goreous! i dont know if she's half asian though because her mother is white and her father look asian but he has a white last name(manley). also her son has blue eyes but he looks a tiy bit asian. he's adorable.
Lilywater47
Friday, November 08, 2002 at 16:16:14 (PST)
[66.147.146.147]
to Masmak:
actually evidently u think that people are judged by looks foremost and then closely behind comes race? if thats what u are saying, i agree. but if u look carefully the mayor rejected all the ethnic people in the end. it just took him longer to find the non-ethnic loking ones. people assume you are what u look (logically) but once they find out your real race some people may judge u differently.
Lilywater47
Friday, November 08, 2002 at 15:48:35 (PST)
[66.147.146.147]
I think the question is would Kristin Kreuk claim her asian heritage?
Chicagoan
randomtexture@yahoo.com
Friday, November 08, 2002 at 10:14:17 (PST)
[12.250.171.174]
Hey guys especially Masmak,
Look up Princess Alexandra of Denmark and her son Prince Nikolai of Denmark.
Princess Alexandra is part English/Chinese and so her son 1/4 Asian and the little cutie has an Asian look to him kind of like Michelle Branch but you know kids change as they get older. if he ends up looking noticeably Asian, should Denmark's own prince have to say "I look Asian so I can't claim myself to be Nordic even though I'm Denmark's prince? The world tells me I'm only what I look like"
Is this right Masmak?
Traveller
Friday, November 08, 2002 at 08:53:02 (PST)
[208.14.6.170]
Ugh.. Kristin Kreuk is NOT Asian. Her last name is KREUK, and she looks more WHITE than anything else. Why do Asians feel the compulsion to claim celebs like Kristin Kreuk and Keanu Reeves as "one of us"?? Is that supposed to make us feel better about ourselves and not left out?
T'K Chang
t_k_chang@znet.com
Thursday, November 07, 2002 at 21:41:12 (PST)
[207.167.96.143]
Akem raizer tells us that kristen is asian since...it's the most likely choice, ..having asian blood. in my opinion we are all making harsh assumptions since no one here actually knows her. what we see is a mask, since we only see her on tv, and tv characters are a fascade. i've seen a 14 min interview of her...even this could have been a fascade.based on this.... she acts canadian. she is not an immigrant, pure asians born in canada can also act pure canadian...we can't generalize how an asian acts.... she was raised in vancouver, a very diverse city that celebrates many holidays, including chinese new year. the "whitanese" girls i know are proud of their ethnicity but don't brag about how asian they are. i do not brag of how asian i am and still asian pride is within me.
Alex
Thursday, November 07, 2002 at 14:55:08 (PST)
[165.230.240.116]
Masmak,
I read about your racist mayor story.
Most Americans of any color are proud to have a Native American background even 100 years ago Americans were proud. They were proud as long as they had the blood but not the looks. In reality there would have been a 99% chance the mayor would have picked person "B," the one with 1/8 INdian as long as he looked white. By the way, I'm 1/16 Blackfoot INdian so thanks Masmak, for picking my background.
One drop rules mainly apply if you are black. Now if someone is 1/2,1/4,1/8, etc Asian, Native American, or Hispanic, it doesn't apply unless you look like the minority. Even then if you look mixed it seems to not apply because the descendants can look easily white by the 2, 3, or 4 generation.
With blacks, it's different. You could be 1/8 black and still look noticeably black. The dark coloring can pop up in following generations whereas Asians and Native Americans have a lighter coloring (unless you lay out in the sun)
Not to be pegged
Thursday, November 07, 2002 at 07:07:51 (PST)
[208.14.6.170]
There's a Mexican pop singer, ANA GABRIEL, who is of Chinese ancestry. I think she would make a good role model for Asian-americans. THere's another singer, CHarlie ZAa, I think he's Colombian and HE looks very Asian.
I know Fujimori was disgraced in Peru but they're all corrupt in Latin AMerica but at least Peru elected someone of Asian background. That hasn't happened here in the US.
Then is some prince in NOrway or some Nordic European nation who married half Asian woman. If the royal child ends up looking Asian instead of Nordic, will he have to go through what hapas go through here in the US. Do you think the prince should say he is not European if he ends up looking Asian?
Traveller
Wednesday, November 06, 2002 at 14:02:07 (PST)
[208.14.6.170]
i agree with what Lilywater47 is saying. even thou u werent raise as asain doesnt mean you should annoy it. if u really want to know ur culture u will try to learn it! btw.. lilywater47.... u have an email?
sweetboiNY
achen11030@hotmail.com
Wednesday, November 06, 2002 at 12:23:51 (PST)
[130.245.230.224]
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