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Chris Aba



Karla Henry



Meryllia Luavasa

Mao Otajima

Amanda Reyna

PI Women & Health Issues -Meryllia Luavasa and Karla Henry

Because Asian Americans outnumber PI’s, PI Women are often in the shadows of Asian American women and one of the areas that this is illustrated in is health. After researching PI women and health, we realize that because there is not much information regarding specific health issues of PI women there is a lack awareness to help PI women acknowledge and fight these issues. This enlightenment has led to our main research question that we will be answering which is: what are the health issues that are prominent amongst PI women? We explore some of factors that cause difficulty in addressing these issues and the efforts that are trying to raise awareness in their communities.

According to the Asian American Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) the most commonly diagnosed cancer amongst PI women is Breast Cancer. This is mainly due to late detection and low screening rates that are common amongst PI women due to lack of knowledge on the prevalence of the disease in their community.

Another common illness in the PI community is Diabetes. The type of diabetes that is typically found among Pacific Islanders is Type 2 Diabetes. A lot of PI women are diagnosed with diabetes because of their diet. In Samoa, their diets were different but since there has been a lot of western influences latelt, diabetes has soared in the PI population.   

A suprising issue for PI women is Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD's). In most PI cultures, the topic of sex is very uncomfortable especially if it is done outside of marriage because it goes against cultural values. Because of the sensitivity of this topic in the PI communities, it is difficult to initiate programs of STD preventions because to initiate it would mean to acknowledge that many PI’s are committing acts that aren’t valued in the culture. There's a conflict between the American culture and the PI culture because the PI culture emphasizes for sex to be committed after marriage, not before.

     There are many explanations as to why breast cancer along with diabetes and STD’s are prevalent. PI women are in a tough position when it comes to health issues because the lack health insurance for the PI populations. The Native Hawaiians poverty rate in the US is 15%, 20.2% of Samoans live below the poverty line, and one out of seven (34%) Chamorros live below the poverty line as well (APIAHF). Another factor that makes it difficult to recognize PI health issues is language barriers. Language barriers make it extremely difficult for doctors to communicate to LEP patients. Because there is a small population of PI's compared to other races in general. They are prone to neglect when it comes to health service access.  





     Despite the challenges, thankfully there are efforts that are in progress. There been some pamphlets published in Samoan and English for Samoans who are LEP and information available diabetes and the PI community.



Pamplet on diabetes in Samoan and Tongan



There are efforts for STD prevention as far as Asian American and PI’s but this where the disaggregation of both races is needed because these programs tend to focus more on Asian Americans. It is understandable why PI’s are always overlooked because they are a small population and there are more Asian Americans than PI’s which is exactly why they should be disaggregated altogether, because the focus will always be more on the Asian Americans.

Research Paper: “Asian American Women in Advertisement, Sex Sells” By: Christopher Aba, Mao Otajima, Amanda Reyna

(An Asian woman as a doll-like object in Vogue magazine)

Advertisements are extremely influential in terms of forming stereotypical images. Advertisers commodify an image of a specific group and basically sell it to their viewers. Advertisers’ goal is to sell products efficiently; therefore, they often ignore the reality of people. Stereotypical images are constructed by the media and are standardized, the media use false images to attract people’s attention. In this paper, we will be addressing Asian American women, who are stereotyped sexually in advertising, how these advertisements affect Asian American viewers, and how advertisers create and place messages targeted to various audiences in the Asian American population as a consumer group. We will be looking at how Asian American Women are viewed as in advertisements. This idea is extremely important to representing Asian American women in advertising. The Asian American population is such a valuable group to market to because of their increasing purchasing power in today’s society in the United States.

(A representation of Asian women as a typical image of an Asian woman and white man couple)

There are two main origins of the stereotypical images of Asian American Women. The international relationship during World War II produced the aggressive behavior of US soldiers toward local women. This is because the soldiers were aliens in this land, the soldiers had developed the thought of dehumanization of people in the enemy countries. Also, the images of Asian women as passive and submissive objects were reinforced by the experience of Chinese prostitution in nineteenth century when they immigrated to United States. Asian women in prostitution was at 61% of Chinese women in California where occupied in prostitution. The women immigrated to US often illegally to seek economic success; however, their desperate economic needs turn these new immigrant Chinese women to sexual workers. Though the past history give Chinese women a stereotypical image of sexual belonging it is no longer relevant in today's society.

In today’s capitalist culture, there is a lack of knowledge on the intersection of race, and gender in advertisements. As the U.S. population becomes more ethnically and culturally diverse, advertisers have started to cater to different ethnic groups with strategies that go beyond traditional advertising campaigns. Specifically targeting certain members of an ethnic group such as Asian American women in different life stages is an important variable for advertisers to take into consideration. Basically people from different age groups would rather watch a show with the same age group or life-stage to which they can identify with. Exploring the differences in behavior and attitudes of Asian American females at different life-stages (student and non-student) can increase advertising efficiency.

We will argue that representations of ethnic minority groups in such advertising campaigns are usually based on gendered and racialized reflections of global culture that draw on resurrected themes of colonialism and American Orientalism. This particularly holds true in their depictions of Asian/American women. Multiculturalism is essentially a way of pretending there is racial harmony in different cultural groups in America, and tries to show the openness of “color-Blind” Americans the traditions of different racial groups. Multiculturalism is a marketing strategy that corporations have recently started to use to market their products. This approach allows corporations to do two things: Expanding their market to a diverse population of consumers, and also using the visual consumption of women’s bodies, and the bodies of women of color to re-package and sell their product by portraying these women in advertisements as sexual objects.  Advertisers create advertisements that mimic multiculturalism which leads to false images of diversity. This leads to homogeneous outlooks on race, and gender in advertising.

                              In a family of five, having two older sisters and two older brothers, the girl were always treated more strictly. We are a blended family my mother is Hispanic and her husband is white.  My stepsisters being white had more lenient rules than myself maybe, because of their American culture.When I was in high school, my curfew was 9PM on school nights and 10PM on weekend, on the other hand, my stepsister did not have to be home until midnight.  The boys did not have a curfew they came home whenever they wanted if they decided to even come home. The girls were not allowed date until they where at least 16 years old. However the boys, were having sex at the age of 14 years old.

            Therefore, I can relate to Yen Le's essay, "We Don't Sleep Around Like White Girls Do," because Hispanic and Filipino culture, in certain aspect, are very similar.  No sex before marriage is relevant to Hispanic culture as well. While I was under my mother's household even at the age of twenty-two I was unable to have men even go into my bedroom, even with the door open. I can also relate to Le's prospective of parents caring for their own children rather than have someone else care for them. "Asian parents take care of their children. American have a different attitude. They leave their children to their own resources. They get baby sitters to take care of their children or leave them in day care"(422 Yen Le).  Going back on the essay, Le says that is why American children do not car for their parent when they are too old to care for themselves.  American often put their parent or grandparent in old folks home rather than care for their parents.

            As oppose to Filipino or Hispanic's tend to take their parents in when they are unable to care for themselves.  My mother cares for my grandparent in her household and my grandparent take care of my nieces, and nephews when my mom, and sibling are at work. In our household the man is the king of the house and what they says goes somewhat like what Le covered in the essay as well. For example, "Sexuality, as a core aspect of social identity, is fundamental to structuring of gender inequality'' (Millett 1970).  Women in our household are in the kitchen cooking, and cleaning, whereas the men of the house are in the TV room watching the Niners game.

            American culture is overall much different than Pilipino or Hispanic culture in regard to the up bring of their children. "Americans are so liberated. They allow their children, their girls, to go out even when they are still so young" (Le 427).  Overall Pilipino and Hispanic culture are similar in the aspects of modesty, and family values.

Preferences in Dating = Colorblind Racism, Meryllia Luavasa

           Last year, I had the chance to date a Black student from Long Beach City College. He played football, he was tall, handsome and sincere however when the opportunity presented itself, the only thing that came to mind was what my parents would think. Interracial marriage and dating isn't a problem in society now as it was before but my families reaction would be more than likely uneasy if I chose to date a Black man. The qualities that I mentioned about him were great but I turned him down because of race. I realized that I have only dated PI men and they were more of my preferences. Ultimately what I realized was that having preferences on who to date in the first place is a form a colorblind racism because although it seems natural to prefer your race over another in dating it is still racism because it subtly states that an individual is not worth dating if not a particular race.

         
          In Gin Yong Pang’s article “Attitudes toward Interracial and Interethnic Relationships and Intermarriage among Korean Americans: The Intersections of Race, Gender, and Class Inequality,” she mentions the "Preferential Hierarchy of Choice for Marital Spouse." She states that the preference her interviewee’s parent’s had was the “exact reflection of [her] father’s” which was “Korean/Korean American, then Asian American, White, and then other racial groups, like Mexicans, and finally Blacks.” I asked my roommate, who is Hispanic, what her parent’s preference for who she should marry and their hierarchy of marital spouse was first Guatemalan, Hispanic, white, Asian American, and lastly Blacks. I realized that this hierarchy is the same for most ethnic groups. The top of the hierarchy usually begins with the individual’s particular ethnicity and then people of their race, and then whites, and so forth while Blacks usually come last. This is not a preference based on the qualities of a peron but their race!

           Some would argue that it’s natural for people to want to marry their own race; however in reality, it is just a way to hide that they would never date certain races because  I’ve heard the saying “I don’t discriminate” many times as a response from people when asked about their preferences. Usually they say it in a playful manner but it is interesting because it actually acknowledges that there are prejudices when dating.                          

          In Chang-Rae Lee’s book, Native Speaker , the main character Henry Parks is Korean American. He talks about how he was sure that his father was going to upset that his fiancée wasn’t Korean, however his father ended up favoring her and Henry knew it was because she was white. I am sure that if Henry had a Black fiancée, it would have been a tough pill for his father to swallow!

          I’m sure that many people may be in disagreement with the notion of wanting to date their own race as a form of racism, but that is only because this form of racism is so natural to the point where it is hard for people to accept it. But think about it, if two people want to date you, and they had the exact same qualities, who would you choose? The Black guy or the white one and why? BE HONEST!

               

Gin Young Pang "Differences in Parental Influence Among Interethnic and Interracial Relationships." By: Christopher Aba

Growing up my parents always told me, “You don’t have to marry an Armenian Girl, but make sure you marry a respectable woman.” I think maybe this is the reason why I don’t normally consider race or ethnicity when I get into a relationship. It’s strange though because my sister is the exact opposite, her ideal man is Armenian. So what makes us think differently? When “Image” magazine published, “Asian Women, Caucasian Men: The New Demographics of Love.” Many people, who were in this particular relationship got outraged that there was more to interracial relationships – especially Asian Women/White Men – than “Love.”

I agree with the outrage that this article caused because, I believe that ethnicity or race does not matter. However, this may be because of what my parents instilled in me. Gin Young Pang’s article is stating that, what we call “Love” is not free from influence or race, gender, class inequality in our society. All of these factors contribute to the “Social Construction” of love and the meaning of interracial and interethnic relationships. Researchers Berger and Luckman define social construction as the process by which individuals come to describe, explain, or otherwise account for the world in which they live. Gin also includes the impact that cultural beliefs, morals, values, social institutions, and authority have on the meaning. My interpretation of social construction is what people perceive as their own reality in respect to relationships and marital choices. Gin states that perceptions of race, gender, and class inequality are internalized and reflected in the attitudes and interpretations that Asian Americans have about interracial and interethnic relationships, and how their parents have an influence on this. My viewpoint is that race and ethnicity do not matter, however I do agree that the views, and notions of parents or authority figures do influence people’s decisions when choosing a partner to be in a relationship with.

Gin’s findings are based on the study done of Korean Americans. One of the three areas that influence opinions on interracial and interethnic relationships is the parent’s attitude toward intermarriage. In this study, it showed that fifteen out of the twenty of the interviewees felt their parents would strongly disapprove to somewhat disapprove of intermarriage (Marrying outside the Korean ethnic group.) The other five felt their parents would somewhat approve but only under certain conditions, which is similar to my situation. The partner’s educational achievement, family background, cultural sensitivity, attractiveness, and race or ethnicities were all factors that concern the parents. The majority of Korean Americans who were interviewed perceived similarly to their parents, that interethnic Asian marriages are more acceptable than interracial ones. Today, the Korean American community still perceives interracial relationships – particularly those of Korean/Asian women with White/Black men – as originating from dire economic or social circumstances. An example that Gin gives which shows that parent’s attitudes and influence affect their children when choosing a partner for a relationship is about her father telling her and her sisters that he wants them to marry Korean men, and then goes down a list of other racial options. She asked the Korean Americans during the interview if their parents had any preference for which they should marry – and one twenty one year old Korean American woman stated that her parent’s attitude became her attitude toward other ethnic/racial groups, as potential marital partners. The majority (Seventy five percent) fit the parental pattern of preferring Korean Americans first.

In conclusion though we are free to pick partner’s as we choose, and I believe that race/ethnic background don’t matter. That parent’s or figures of authority do shape the way we think and play a significant role in conditioning our social construction of love, and our views on interracial and interethnic relationships.

I Have a White Boyfriend.

     Why do people feel uncomfortable about such an interracial couple? In the article, "Attitudes toward Interracial and Interethnic Relationships and Intermarriage among Korean Americans: The Intersections of Race, Gender, and Class Inequality" by Gin Yong Pang, Miae Kim says "When I see an Asian girl with a White guy, I have an uneasy feeling, especially when the girl, appearance-wise, fits the stereotype of [being] really quiet, submissive, and so on. I wonder, 'Why is he dating her?' 'What for?' I can't help looking at them. I guess it's her choice. If he looks fine, then, it shouldn't matter; but if he's on to her because of all the stereotypes, and because he could use her, then, something is wrong with it". Moreover, in many cases, Asian women are often victimized, and a white man are seen as a villain in the situation of interracial relationship. In fact, many people are not happy to see a couple of an Asian woman and a white man like Miae Kim. Honestly, I was upset when I read this comments because this comments forcibly convince the difficulty of interracial relationship, especially between Asian women and white men. I notice a lot of uneasy gaze when I am with my boyfriend. Actually, I never feel these eyes when I was dating with Asian men. I'm sure that he also feels the difference and difficulty between dating with same race and others. We should not only blame white men because we both experience hardships of having an interracial partner in this racially complex society, and it is also true that it's impossible to separate social construction and people's choice of relationship.
     I think that if some people have such conceptual ideas about white man's conquest of Asian women, it is also possible to think that Asian women are taking advantages of white men. We all know that white men have privilege in this society. Here is an example of a real life situation. One day, I went to DMV to make an ID. The representative was not so nice to me, but he suddenly became extremely nice when my boyfriend showed up. As a result, the process was smoothly carried out. Things are not so easy for Asian women sometimes. I am not saying that I am taking advantage of being a girl friend with a white man, but it is certainly true that people treat you differently when you are with privileged people because the society construct people's notions. You can't see even a single person without analyzing his/her race and the social value. It is a natural tendency that is influenced by today's media that emphasizes the superiority of whiteness. It it hardly possible to evaluate anything only based on your idea. Your idea is already contaminated with the social norm. Then I imagine "what if my boyfriend is Asian? Would I still date with him?," but I realized that this is such a nonsense thoughts because his race is a part of his personality. In other words, race is one of materials that construct an individual identity. I love the person by who he is. He is a white person. Logically speaking, this two facts are supposed to be vice versa. Regardless of my feeling, I took an advantage of being with a white man.

     The classic example of an Asian and white couple is Suzie and Robert from a movie, "The World of Suzie Wong." In the middle of the movie, Robert hesitates to be with Suzie, even though he knows that he loves her so much. The reason is the social pressure from his white peers. Suzie has nothing to lose due to the relationship with Robert; however, he may damage his social reputation as a white male for the interracial relationship because of the stereotypical images: he is only sexually attracted by Suzie, and he wants to dominates her. He may be called an Asian fetish, but he decided to be with her. People often see only Suzie's devotion and submissiveness as a sinful disadvantage. They often ignore Robert's struggles. I don't think Robert is just a stereotypical white man who is attracted by Suzie's exotic charms. He also sacrifices his social status for the love. On the other hand, the movie clearly shows stereotypical images of Asian women. The Asian women in this movie are mostly prostitutes, hypersexualized, obedient, and available. They could hurt the real Asian women. Because of the stereotypical images, the movie is often criticized by Asian community, but I think the real theme of this movie is how Suzie and Robert share their hardships together, and overcome them.  
     Unfortunately, interracial couples suffer from conceptual and stereotypical images; however, none of them should be blamed on their choice of a partner. A relationship should not be consider as a sinful behavior regardless their race. We should not judge them at all without knowing a story. Besides, we should not forget that our ideas and identities are heavily constructed by the society.

Mao Otajima