Comments on: I want to be wasian!

By: 8Asians.com » Skin Whiteners considered Racist

8Asians.com » Skin Whiteners considered Racist — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 21:01:42 +0000

[...] previous posts, we have talked about colorism and standards of beauty. This article in CNN discusses how in India, some lawmakers are up in [...]

By: Jason

Jason — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:31:22 +0000

@Lisa: from what I’ve read around the internet, there are a lot of Hawaiians who don’t think that a person should be called a hapa unless they have some pure Hawaiian blood. I didn’t quite understand your comment about your mom’s heritage, but if she is pure Japanese but was born in Hawaii, and your father is not Hawaiian, then a lot of Hawaiians would not consider you to be hapa even if you were born in Hawaii. Just passing on what I’ve read — it’s not my opinion.

By: alley al

alley al — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 18:49:31 +0000

i 2nd madley and lisa.. work with what you got, and there’s beauty and ugly in all of us.

colorism just is. it’s been around since forever. until we all evolve and look the same like those stereotypical alien pictures, that’s how it’s gonna be. we’re human, we’re different, and we’re gonna take advantage of those differences.

the chinese-filipinos are lighter, they’re sort of always richer, they’re the ones on tv.
vietnamese ladies still wear long gloves to stay lighter from the sun.
the upper castes are lighter.
blah blah blah.
(does colorism go hand in hand with heightism?)

i’m 100% dark asian heeheehee and i’ve been mistaken from all types of asian to all types of latin and whatever else. it’s all funny to me.
get a sense of humor. life’s too short..

By: Joe

Joe — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:25:57 +0000

Interesting article! Although I don’t have any scientific evidence, in my observation “colorism” among Asians, Blacks, Hispanics, etc seems to happen in a group that’s made up predominantly of one (or more) of those ethnicities. In those cases, “colorism” seems to be a preference to stand out from a group of otherwise similar-looking folks.

I live in a college town Wisconsin, in a town where there are a lot of caucasians. And MANY of them (mostly in their 20s) are out in the sun, trying to make themselves “darker.” And there are a noticeable number of them that use fake tanning products as well. (I’m not making fun of anyone- just reporting what I’m seeing). To them, to have a nice “tan” or to look darker is a sign of beauty.

So to me, “colorism,” whether it’s darker people trying to look lighter or lighter people trying to look darker, seems to stem from a ” the grass is greener on the other side of the fence” sort of mentality…

By: Madley

Madley — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 18:59:33 +0000

Great to see you here! And tell The Daughter the most important thing is to be comfortable in your own skin, whatever that may be — and that she’s welcome to commiserate, learn and grow from Her Aunt.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 22:04:13 +0000

Well, I think Hawaiians just don’t like half people of non Asian mixes to be referred to as hapa cause the people who used it were always half Asian and half something else. My mom is from Hawaii (Japanese descent) and I’m a hapa and we think that way too.

On another note, Jeff, maybe you should tell your daughter that not all wasians are light skinned or even attractive, lol. (Well, actually, a lot are I think…but I’ve met one who wasn’t.) Me for example, I look like a cute Asian girl with brown hair and a bit more pink tones to my skin, but I’m not very light. Many people, except other hapas generally aren’t aware that I’m half. Though, my brother and sister are much fairer and whiter looking than me. One of my best friend’s is half and he gets pegged as Hispanic, white features but black hair, dark skin and eyes. Hapas vary a lot. =)

By: Jeff

Jeff — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 02:48:29 +0000

Actually, I asked the Daughter back then if she knew what “hapa” meant and she didn’t know. And in my experience, race often has little to do with being “wack”!

By: Jason

Jason — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 02:02:27 +0000

So we’re stuck with “wasian” because the Hawaiians don’t want non-Hawaiians to use “hapa”? Ugh. And does that mean people who are half-white and half-black are “wack”?