Not-So Subtle Asian Traits

Photography by Timothy Nguyen

It was a rough day at school, tons of homework, and you only had five hours of sleep. You get home and open your Facebook account that you haven't visited in ages. You’ve recently gotten an invite to join a group called Subtle Asian Traits. Thinking of no harm to it, you click the blue button that says accept. The first post that greeted you was the iconic Pikachu meme followed by a post about Asian parents making their children the dishwasher of the house. You find yourself scrolling through the page for hours laughing at the relatable content posted.

Subtle Asian Traits is a Facebook group started by a group of friends from Australia that has garnered over 1.8 million members all over the world. It strives to “connect Asian individuals globally” to build “a community that celebrates the similarities and differences within the subtle traits of Asian culture.” Today, it is a place where Asians from all over the world can bond over relatable memes from their experiences growing up in an Asian household, boba tea and struggles with their cultural identity.

“It’s a very interesting place to share their memes and videos [and] relate to each other on the scale usually referring to Asian American daily lives and overseas Asians,” Jerry Phi said, a student at the University of North Florida. “There is a very focused majority on posts about East Asians.”

The posts on the page often centers around Asian culture in the eyes of the children of migrants. Albeit mostly considered a meme group, some Asians claim Subtle Asian Traits to be a space where they feel a sense of belonging. It has become some sort of springboard that forms friendships virtually and recognizing others and their very own culture, especially those that struggle with their cultural identity.

Ever since its rise in popularity, Subtle Asian Traits seem to have gotten more out of touch with inclusion. It has also built an idea of Asians being a monolith that does not exist in real life.

“It’s a good way for us Asians to get together to find a community and friends,” said a University of Central Florida student, Kett Potte. “There are a good amount of posts that I definitely relate to, especially growing up.”

Though the posts on the group intend to be lighthearted and harmless, there have been some issues about it that have been raising eyebrows. Ever since its rise in popularity, Subtle Asian Traits seem to have gotten more out of touch with inclusion. It has also built an idea of Asians being a monolith that does not exist in real life.

One of the major issues for Asian Americans growing up in a state where Asians are a minority is fitting in. Being rarely represented in the media and having a hard time finding someone who can understand your culture is quite tough. And now there’s a Facebook group that's all about people that had the same experience as you: people who grew up with the same tiger balm that cured all kinds of illnesses. But this group is suddenly turning into the middle school where only certain people fit in. It became a group where you have to be at some specific level of Asian in order to be considered a “true” Asian, in which being a true Asian means that you have to relate to a specific set of criteria to be considered one. You have to drink boba, your parents have to act cold towards you, and people in your school thought you were weird for having an “exotic” last name. Subtle Asian Traits became a group where if you didn’t drink boba then you’re not a “true” Asian. It has made some Asians in the group feel inferior to others because they do not fit the set criteria.

“It happens especially with people getting higher grades because of their parents pressuring them,” said Lin Zou, a student from Penn State. “I kinda feel dumb and I feel bad because [my] parents never put that pressure on me. Does that make me less [of an Asian] because my parents never pressured me and I didn’t get high grades? What your parents do doesn't define your race. If you're Asian, you’re Asian.”

Most of the posts have numerous influences of East Asian culture and accommodate those who are in the middle-class with doctor or lawyer aspirations. Subtle Asian Traits tend to overlook the fact that not all Asians have the luxury to enroll in a piano class, have the finances to have an option to go to medical school or even be able to have a skin care routine; it forgets that there are Asians beyond boba and straight A’s. However, most memes and other posts tend to revolve around these things that are obviously overarching the real Asian culture.

“It's a whole different experience looking from my perspective,” said Brian Diaz. Diaz is a student currently studying at University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines. “I can relate to some things mostly because of the Asian parents memes but most of the things posted are a lot about experiencing a specific thing in order to fit in.”

"Everyone has different ways of growing up. It just can't be grouped into a single identity," said Potte.

In her article, “Why I Hate Subtle Asian Traits,” Sarah Mae Dizon tackles the problems growing inside the Facebook group. She mentions that though it is harmless on the surface, “the Facebook group offers very little community for Asians beyond consumerism.” Most of the posts on the group heavily rely on the common stereotypes of being Asian and mostly feeds into these ideas that generalizes a whole diverse culture into one. Boba and other means of consumerism have become the face of Asian identity. The group itself has become so mono-dimensional that it prompted page branches like Subtle Filipino Traits or Subtle Curry Traits to open. Subtle Asian Traits is too broad for the real essence of what being an Asian is all about. The traditions and ethics have been covered by a false identity that has been validated because everyone can relate to it. But it forgets the deeper layers of being Asian.

“Everyone has different ways of growing up. It just can't be grouped into a single identity,” said Potte.

Being Asian cannot just be crunched up into one cultural identity about straight A’s and boba. In fact, that is the beauty of being Asian: It’s so diverse that it cannot just be generalized into one identity. As we enjoy the content presented by our own experiences, we must be critical of just how much they limit our own unique identities.

It’s good to relate our own experiences with other people especially with our parents but being Asian shouldn't just be limited to that. Being Asian shouldn't be defined by how our parents treated us or if we like boba or not. Being Asian is not consumerism.