I am not a hyphenated American

 I am Asian American. Not Asian-American, but Asian American. 


Maybe for some, the hyphen may seem trivial. Just a game of semantics? But for me, my identity is not mutually exclusive; it is not something to be divided into halves, implying that I am only partially loyal to my Korean identity and the other half loyal to my American identity. I have come this far to be able to celebrate being Korean and American, both fully at the same time. 

Maxine Hong Kingston confronts her dual heritage in "The Woman Warrior". She idealizes the "talk-story" that she grew up hearing as a Chinese girl, while also reflecting on her "American life". 

My life, like Kingston's, is a crossroads of cultures: growing up, I went to Sunday school every weekend, where everyone looked just like me. At the same time, I'd come home to go to a friend's birthday party or a play date in elementary school and be the only face without fair skin. For God's sake, I watched Crazy Rich Asians (2018) with five other white girls!

I don't disagree with Kingston that living in a society where the feminine and racial ideal isn't you is hard. (Disclaimer-  I was raised in a Korean church, where our Asian identities were not ever questioned. This is why I partly do not relate to Kingston and her struggles with an unaccepting society). Perhaps if I had grown up in Korea I'd be a different person from who I am today. A little louder? More outspoken? Maybe. There is no doubt that I am assimilated into Western culture. I'd say it's sort of inevitable, but it's also not entirely negative.


This is not me saying that I am perfectly confident. I would be lying if I said I don't often feel like I have to prove myself as a Korean. On other days, as an American. But I am proud to be both. 

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