Perspectives on the Asian Baby Girl
Location
PANEL: Contemporary Issues in Politics: Identity, Mind, and Security
Wilder 101
Document Type
Presentation - Open Access
Start Date
4-28-2023 4:00 PM
End Date
4-28-2023 5:00 PM
Abstract
The experiences of young Asian American women and their sense of identity are often insufficiently researched within Asian American Studies. In response to this challenge, this research explores the socio-historical development of the Asian Baby Girl (ABG) aesthetic, culture, and lifestyle. By conducting six in-depth interviews with young Asian Americans from coastal regions of the United States on their perceptions of the aesthetic, I found that young Asian Americans feel a range of different attitudes towards ABGs, ranging from dislike to indifference. Young Asian Americans have a loosely unified definition of ABGs as young Asian American women who attend raves, drink alcohol, smoke, have tattoos, and come from strict Asian households. Harmful stereotypes of Asian Americans and the “pick me” girl trope in contemporary popular culture are other factors that affected their characterizations of ABGs. Throughout my research, I also argue that the ABG aesthetic and culture originates from the imperial histories between the United States and Asia, and persists through the sexual socialization of young Asian American women, the influence of popular and consumer culture, and the impact of Asian female influencer representation in social media. While the ABG aesthetic and culture resist white ideals of beauty and harmful stereotypes of Asian women, many critique it for amplifying the visibility of East Asians and appropriating Black and Brown culture. Thus, diverse perspectives on ABGs make this research a significant starting point for further exploration into Asian American youth cultures.
Keywords:
Asian Baby Girl, Asian American, Youth Culture, Stereotypes
Recommended Citation
Sablay, Haley Danielle, "Perspectives on the Asian Baby Girl" (2023). Research Symposium. 9.
https://digitalcommons.oberlin.edu/researchsymp/2023/presentations/9
Major
Sociology
Award
Jerome Davis Research Award
Project Mentor(s)
Alicia Smith-Tran, Sociology
2023
Perspectives on the Asian Baby Girl
PANEL: Contemporary Issues in Politics: Identity, Mind, and Security
Wilder 101
The experiences of young Asian American women and their sense of identity are often insufficiently researched within Asian American Studies. In response to this challenge, this research explores the socio-historical development of the Asian Baby Girl (ABG) aesthetic, culture, and lifestyle. By conducting six in-depth interviews with young Asian Americans from coastal regions of the United States on their perceptions of the aesthetic, I found that young Asian Americans feel a range of different attitudes towards ABGs, ranging from dislike to indifference. Young Asian Americans have a loosely unified definition of ABGs as young Asian American women who attend raves, drink alcohol, smoke, have tattoos, and come from strict Asian households. Harmful stereotypes of Asian Americans and the “pick me” girl trope in contemporary popular culture are other factors that affected their characterizations of ABGs. Throughout my research, I also argue that the ABG aesthetic and culture originates from the imperial histories between the United States and Asia, and persists through the sexual socialization of young Asian American women, the influence of popular and consumer culture, and the impact of Asian female influencer representation in social media. While the ABG aesthetic and culture resist white ideals of beauty and harmful stereotypes of Asian women, many critique it for amplifying the visibility of East Asians and appropriating Black and Brown culture. Thus, diverse perspectives on ABGs make this research a significant starting point for further exploration into Asian American youth cultures.
