How To Be Just Like Me!

First things first. I'm asian. So in order to be like me, you must:

• Be Chinese. Because all Asians are Chinese.
• Speak Chinese. You're Asian, aren't you...?
• Be a bad driver.
• Be good at math. And every other thing you do.
• Like Pokemon and everything anime.
• Be short.
• Have yellow skin.
• Only have Asian friends.
• Make peace signs in every picture.
• Know Karate (or some variation, but call it Karate).
• Eat rice with every meal. With chopsticks.
• Be prude.
• Like Hello Kitty.
• Never Sleep.

Also, you should know that I'm a girl. So you also have to:

• Like the color pink.
• Watch reality TV.
• Wear a ton of makeup, and spend at least an hour getting ready in the morning.
• Take lots of photos of yourself.
• Go shopping.
• Giggle.
• Like to wear dresses.
• Have inside jokes.
• Cry often.
• Keep everything you own in your purse.
• Have side bangs.
• Be jealous and judgemental of other girls.
• Have a boyfriend, but really like another guy. And have your best friend's boyfriend like you. It's complicated.
• Have your relationship status on Facebook be with another girl.

Have I mentioned that I'm a teenager? So:

• Never see your parents, always have plans.
• Text. All the time.
• Wear a hat.
• Procrastinate all your work, and then don't sleep at night cause you're trying to finish it. Or just go to sleep and get bad grades. Either one...
• Have a Twitter.
• Always update your Twitter with things no one really cares about.
• Get distracted by Facebook, even though there's nothing new on it.
• Watch endless YouTube videos.
• Cause trouble.
• Be dramatic.
• Be exclusive.
• Wear inappropriate clothes.
• Swear.
• Have acne. It's the true youthful appearance.
• Everything is a sexual euphemism.

Oh yeah, and I play rugby. Just:

• Be a lesbian.

Basically, that's how you be like me. You're welcome.


But honestly. I just wanted to address the stereotypes that can form around any given feature. I think you probably know as well as I do that stereotypes do form from somewhere, and to an extent these things happen. But stereotypes are stereotypes. And they don't apply to everyone.

Okay, so I'm Asian. I happen to be Korean. *gasp* No, not all Asians are Chinese, believe it or not. And no, I don't speak Chinese, or Japanese, or Korean. I speak English and (barely) French. Yes, I happen to be short, and I happen to like Pokemon and Princess Mononoke, and I happen to know Tae Kwon Do. But I have non-Asian friends, I don't like Hello Kitty, I don't eat rice with every meal...
I'm just saying. I may be Asian, but that's not "who I am".

Right, so I'm a girl. I like pink, right? WRONG. Least favorite color. I like shopping, right? WRONG. I hate hate hate hate hate shopping. I take a ton of photos of myself, right? WRONG. I do take a ton of photos, but they are never of me. Sure, sometimes I do things that are "girly". I'm allowed to. But don't jump to conclusions about me because I am a girl.

Yeah, so I'm a teenager. Okay okay okay. I procrastinate, I get distracted by Facebook, I am on YouTube constantly...I get it. Mostly where I get peeved about "teenager stereotypes" is adults in stores or businesses, though. For example, a few years ago, a bunch of Churchies went out to go bowling, and a few of us went to Caribou to get some drinks and blah blah blah we weren't allowed to have them in the bowling alley and basically the manager started calling one of my friends a "smartass little bitch". NOT KIDDING. Those were his actual words. Three times. And she wasn't being disrespectful. We were leaving because he asked us to. And he heard her mumble something back, he even admitted to not actually hearing what she said. He just assumed that it was disrespectful, so he blew up at her. She was saying sorry. That's all. Anyway, don't judge.

Lastly, so I'm a rugby player. I. Am. Not. A. Lesbian.
Sure sure, there's maybe one girl on the team who is. And whatever, she's allowed to be, no one cares, because that's not why she joined rugby. UGGGG. And it's not that I'm bothered because you think I'm a lesbian, I don't have anything against it. I'm bothered that you think I'm a lesbian because I play rugby. This stereotype is so dumb. Stop it. Just stop.

That's all I wanted to say today. I'm sick of judgements based on steretypes. So, sorry if you were really looking forward to learning how to be just like me (which I know you were). I may be a female, Asian, rugby-playing, teenager, but those features do not truly make up who I am.