lookin' like a wannabe

[kimpossible]

Have you ever worried about looking like an Asian wannabe despite being part Asian? I worry about that a lot. Some of the worry I feel is legit though since I consider myself a fob wannabe or fobabee.

What brought this thought to the surface just now is a cute shirt I was checking out. It has a happy smiley face rice pot with the text "Have a Rice Day." I was thinking of buying it because it was cute but then I thought it might not be a good idea to wear it in public because very few ppl can tell I'm part Asian. Then I thought about it and realized that I actually have a lot of Asian clothing and jewelry that I would never wear because it's fobby and I think I'd look like a total dork wannabe. And I think most Asians looking at me would think I'm a total dork wannabe (or san ba *lol*). So I don't wear it.

I'm starting to think you just can't pull off that type of stuff unless you're one of those hapa that look really Asian.

[deez nuts]

Originally posted by Hello_Hapa@Nov 30 2002, 07:05 PM
And I think most Asians looking at me would think I'm a total dork wannabe (or san ba *lol*). So I don't wear it.

Off topic: but I always thought that being a san ba is a lot better than being tu or a shan ba lao :D

[angel nympho]

Haha, who cares? If somebody gives you shit, just give them a dirty look and tell them you ARE Asian.


...Or tell them to watch out, cuz you got klan connections.

[deez nuts]

Originally posted by angel nympho@Nov 30 2002, 08:20 PM



...Or tell them to watch out, cuz you got klan connections.
haha sorry, that almost made me fall of my chair cuz I was laughing so hard.

[Hiroshi2]

Originally posted by Hello_Hapa@Nov 30 2002, 04:05 PM
Have you ever worried about looking like an Asian wannabe despite being part Asian? I worry about that a lot. Some of the worry I feel is legit though since I consider myself a fob wannabe or fobabee.

What brought this thought to the surface just now is a cute shirt I was checking out. It has a happy smiley face rice pot with the text "Have a Rice Day." I was thinking of buying it because it was cute but then I thought it might not be a good idea to wear it in public because very few ppl can tell I'm part Asian. Then I thought about it and realized that I actually have a lot of Asian clothing and jewelry that I would never wear because it's fobby and I think I'd look like a total dork wannabe. And I think most Asians looking at me would think I'm a total dork wannabe (or san ba *lol*). So I don't wear it.

I'm starting to think you just can't pull off that type of stuff unless you're one of those hapa that look really Asian.
I just had that exact same experience! At the store the other day, i saw this shirt that had japanese kanji on it. I thought it looked cool, but then i thought exactly what you thought: that asians would see me as one of those wannabe-asian-don't-know-what-this-chinese/japanese-writing-on-my-shirt-means-types. I even showed it to my mom to get the reaction of an asian person. But i guess she doesn't see things the way i do, cause she thought i should buy it. But i just couldn't see myself wearing that because of the way it would look on me. And besides that, i've never seen an asian person wearing anything like that.

[SunWuKong]

Originally posted by Hiroshi2@Nov 30 2002, 10:45 PM
Originally posted by Hello_Hapa@Nov 30 2002, 04:05 PM
Have you ever worried about looking like an Asian wannabe despite being part Asian? I worry about that a lot. Some of the worry I feel is legit though since I consider myself a fob wannabe or fobabee.

What brought this thought to the surface just now is a cute shirt I was checking out. It has a happy smiley face rice pot with the text "Have a Rice Day." I was thinking of buying it because it was cute but then I thought it might not be a good idea to wear it in public because very few ppl can tell I'm part Asian. Then I thought about it and realized that I actually have a lot of Asian clothing and jewelry that I would never wear because it's fobby and I think I'd look like a total dork wannabe. And I think most Asians looking at me would think I'm a total dork wannabe (or san ba *lol*). So I don't wear it.

I'm starting to think you just can't pull off that type of stuff unless you're one of those hapa that look really Asian.
I just had that exact same experience! At the store the other day, i saw this shirt that had japanese kanji on it. I thought it looked cool, but then i thought exactly what you thought: that asians would see me as one of those wannabe-asian-don't-know-what-this-chinese/japanese-writing-on-my-shirt-means-types. I even showed it to my mom to get the reaction of an asian person. But i guess she doesn't see things the way i do, cause she thought i should buy it. But i just couldn't see myself wearing that because of the way it would look on me. And besides that, i've never seen an asian person wearing anything like that.
how did the kanji look? i mean if it looked exoticised, then i certainly wouldn't buy it. i just think that those kinds of shirts are made for non-asian people who think kanji/hanjja/chinese characters are cool. the only shirts that have chinese characters on them that i have, i bought in HK, and they weren't printed in the chinese fastfood font. :P

[Hiroshi2]

Originally posted by SunWuKung@Nov 30 2002, 08:09 PM
i mean if it looked exoticised, then i certainly wouldn't buy it.
Well, no, it was on a blue shirt in jumbo letters. It was the kanji for "believe" according to my mom.

[noriko]

ah, i know exactly what you mean. I'm not a fan of those kanji shirts, but i do have clothes with japanese writing on them (mainly gifts from relatives...shirts that say the names of universities they went to, their company name and logo, etc). i always worry about the same thing you guys described: people thinking i'm a poser, and associating me with those americans who love anime and stuff but know nothing about actual japanese culture, nor have any desire to really learn anything beyond trivia.

it's weird...i worry about this same thing in many other situations too: when buying food at a japanese grocery store, speaking japanese to friends or family in public, wearing anything even vaguely associated with asia (jewelry, clothes, etc), and especially when visiting shrines in japan, but that's a whole different issue entirely.

i know the easy response would just be to say "well, whatever, i know who i am so why should i worry about what others think?" But it does bother me, and clearly other people here too. And I think it goes beyond just the issue of what to wear-- it affects how we act in many other ways as well.

so what do you all think is the solution?

[thaite]

I have some traditional clothing that I often refrain from wearing. I might wear them to the temple, but that's about it.

[Hiroshi2]

Originally posted by noriko@Nov 30 2002, 11:56 PM

it's weird...i worry about this same thing in many other situations too: when buying food at a japanese grocery store, speaking japanese to friends or family in public, wearing anything even vaguely associated with asia (jewelry, clothes, etc), and especially when visiting shrines in japan, but that's a whole different issue entirely.

i know the easy response would just be to say "well, whatever, i know who i am so why should i worry about what others think?" But it does bother me, and clearly other people here too. And I think it goes beyond just the issue of what to wear-- it affects how we act in many other ways as well.


I know exactly what you mean. I can't think of a solution right now.

[angel nympho]

I have a T-Shirt I bought at Urban Outfitters. I suppose if somebody saw me wearing it, they COULD find it offensive, though I don't think it is. I've seen a lot of white people wearing the same shirt. Calista Flockheart or however you say her name wears it... I saw her wearing it in a magazine or something.

It's red and it's got a few chinese characters... I think it says "good luck" or something in chinese characters... at least that's what the lady who works at sav-on told me. And it's got a picture of Buddha and it says "Rub my belly for good luck" or something kinda like that. The old chinese woman at sav-on said it's beautiful and looks cute on me.

*Shrug* I wear it a LOT and nobody's ever said anything or given me dirty looks for it. I'm obviously not Chinese.

[BeTheReds]

Yes, I have done those things before.

I have refrained from buying shirts with Kanji on them so as not to look like freakin anime otaku. I much prefer to go buy clothes in japan with crappy english on them.

Like...

"Go to school with a the tank.
Find a bus and run ahead with it.
It is careful."

[kimpossible]

Yeah, I scoured the night markets in Taipei to find really bad quality knock-offs with equally bad English. It's a lot cheaper there than in Japan. I developed a strong hatred for Abercrombie way before the Wong Bros. thing (I just really don't like their image or clothing in general). So I found this super screwed up logo.

Aherombic & Eitcb

Ouality BranF Olcthing

I love that shirt. It always takes ppl like a minute or two to figure out what's wrong with it.

[BeTheReds]

My favorites from Korea

Shoes:
Nika, Abidas, Reedok

Shirts:
"Quality clothing since 2045"
"I love Korean American Assholes!" (Konglish screws up the intended meaning)

Handbag:
MOM (not MCM)
Guccci
Praba

[Hiroshi2]

Originally posted by BeTheReds@Dec 1 2002, 07:12 PM

Shirts:
"Quality clothing since 2045"
"I love Korean American Assholes!" (Konglish screws up the intended meaning)


:lol:

Damn I'd go to Korea just to get me one of those shirts.

Come to think of it, i could go to japan and get equally funny-looking clothes.