China Doll
Anastacia Chu ‘23 First place literature contest winner
Welcome to Chinatown: Traipsing through the snack aisle as if this was a zoo. Photographing my childhood as you post oddities you find, Is the microcosm of Asian society such a revelation That anything unfamiliar is dubbed exotic and deigned for exploration? My culture is not your playground. Prom pictures full of risky thighs and gaping neon necklines Through the constant appropriation without appreciation Take n and stole n until it be come s your norm and reduced to a stereotype to fit your agenda. My culture is not your prom dress. A trend: to imitate my traditional style. The hypocrisy of it all is that my eyes and language were mocked tirelessly – pulling and babbling Whilst hearing from the media proclaim that slanted eyes mean rancid lies
Emma Morales ‘24 Glitch Digital Art
You may shape shift at will with the privilege of ignorance As you desire my features but not my issues. Yet— you shape the beauty standard while never acknowledging my people’s existence. My culture is not eyes that you can buy in a pen and take off with a towel. So no. I don’t possess the sanctity of time to be coddled— I see you walking on egg shells while you attempt to not offend And still, you inadvertently invalidate me further. It’s aggravating that you beg for struggles that my grandparents fled from Cruising in your father’s latest Lexus whilst hiding in a bubble Instituted to shield you from such troubles
Should I be the Dragon Lady or your Sailor Moon, perhaps your docile dork that is eager to (over)work Dismiss me as adorable so that you can capitalize on my complacency Simply another she-devil… Deceitful, domineering, determined, demure Readily prepared to cater to your needs with my brains My culture is not your fantasy. We are the stepping stones for your further superiority So yes. These mere “jokes” indeed garner contempt— What else do you expect from “Orientals” who are never given any respect?
My culture is not invisible. A preference not a fetish they say The bare minimum. Which really isn’t a given because: I am a caricature designed to fulfill your deepest delusion
ESSE 2021 | 51
