...to combat stereotypes:
descriptions:
A1: “Stereotype”- meant to provoke people to ponder the stereotypes they hold for certain groups and how those stereotypes affect the way they perceive individuals.
A2: "Angry little Asian girl"- challenges the stereotype that Asian women are submissive and quite while at the same time conveys the frustration for the expectations placed on Asian women.
A4: "SARS" - made to poke fun of the SARS hysteria which portrays the disease as an Asian sickness.
A3: "I am not white" - challenges the idea that Asian Americans have "out-whited whites" ; "I suck at math" - challenges the idea that all Asian Americans are good at math ; "I speak English" - challenges the generalization that all Asian Americans speak little, if any English; "I am not a terrorist."- protests the racial profiling of certain Asian American sub-groups as terrorists post-9/11.
A5: "SWM seeking SAF"- fights against the stereotype persistent in white society of Asian women being exotic, sexual beings meant to please and serve men.
A6: "I will not love you long time"- protests against the image of the Vietnamese hooker, seductress in the movie “Full Metal Jacket”
A7: Asian is...not oriental- promotes empowerment by reiterating Asian Americans' desire to be called the label the group made for themselves instead of the term placed on them by White society.
A8: "I am the big bad Chinese mama"- a parody shirt created by a woman who claims to be the “anti-geisha.”
...as responses to acts of injustice:
descriptions:
B1: "artfulbigotry and kitsch"- response to Abercrombie and Fitch’s calous misappropriation of religious iconography, caricature portrayals of Asian Americans, and use of broken English slogans making fun of Asian Americans in their new, hip "Asian" t-shirt line
B2: "Do the math" - list of some of the propositions that promoted inequality and consequently had malevolent effects on the Asian American community
B3: "V. Chin"- shirt memorializing a modern day Asian American martyr, Vincent Chin
B4: "no justice no peace"- back of the V. Chin shirt. reiterates the fact that Chin's murderers still remain unpunished to this day for their crimes.
B5: Shirt which reminds us of the Japanese American internment. Each of the interment camp names are listed in the back of the shirt.
...to embrace cultural heritage:
descriptions:
C1: "hapa"- shirt proudly claim the bi-racial heritage.
C2: "pinay"- shirt proudly claiming a Filipina heritage
C3: "samurai in training"- toddler clothing proclaiming a Japanese heritage
C4: "desi pride"- shirt claiming a pan-ethnic, South Asian heritage
C5: got rice- shirt claiming a Pan-Asian Heritage
~*LiNks wHeRe yOu CaN OrDer ThEsE ShIrTs:*~
.::BlaCkLaVa::.
:-:JaPanEsE aMEriCan NaTiONaL muSeUm:-:
*DeSi wEAr*
!!BiG bAd ChiNEse MaMa!!
^.^AnGry LiTtLe AsIan GiRL^.^
-+CeLeBraSiAn+-
Link to I was Born with Two Tongues Poem performed by Kinnic and Chrissy...
"It's A Race and I'm Running"
