Shawn | 20 | she/her | nationality: Spanish/British| ethnicity: Indian
“Yellow”.
I associate the colour yellow with hope, happiness,light and new
beginnings, particularly due to its prevalence inIndian cultural
festivals and celebrations.
“Asian”.
Being 'Asian' encompasses many aspects of an identity.For one, some
would say superficial traits play a big role, andthey somewhat do, but I
personally think being Asian means being part of ageneration that's at
least somewhat conscious of their roots- these beingculture, language,
pracises, even if you don't speak a language fluentlyand even if you
don't celebrate all the festivities your parents,grandparents and grand
grandparents celebrated. Upbringing too- growing upin an Asian
household conditions us to be a certain way, and havecertain values
too. Even if we turn out to be the least traditionalperson, the
experience of going through it plays a big role inshaping our character,
identity and motivations.
I think anyone that has roots to a country and itsculture is allowed to
call themselves Asian (and as long as this root wasn'tjust one odd
Asian family member many generations ago).
I think what brings Asians together is family. Itis a very big priority in
most, if not all, Asian communities, and it is somethingthat the
majority will invest their energy, time and moneyin. As for first, second,
and following generations, I would say the factorbringing them
together is the commonality- the shared experiencesthat usually only
individuals that have grown up in certain environmentsin their
households and when outside would have (although thesewould, of
course, also vary on many factors). And perhaps theidentity crisis that
comes with growing up somewhere where you are a minority.
Ethnicity|part1.
I’m indian. My ethnicity is a conglomeration of rangingphysical
features, rich culture and heritage. I feel luckyto have been born being
part of such a fascinating culture, and today I cansay I’m proud of my
roots. In the past, however, this wasn’t the case,especially growing up
in a predominantly white place, where the populationof Indian people
was scarce. I often feel guilty or regretful for nothaving been more in
touch with my culture (and even embarrassed) growingup. More often
than not, being non-white felt isolating. I alwaysfelt like an outsider as
a kid, part of the group of ‘others’, never seeingmyself in the media,
never fitting the eurocentric standard of beauty.There were many
things I had to learn (or unlearn, actually) to acceptmyself for who I
am today. Even so, there’s still some things I questionabout my culture
and traditions, since not everything is perfect. Misogynyis still
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