老司机传媒

This year’s theme for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) month at 老司机传媒, “Together,” brings to attention an important reminder for the Asian-American community: It is important to stay united in our front against racism, xenophobia and harmful stereotypes. 

The AAPI community is no stranger to prejudice and bigotry. The , and . Although things like K-pop, Asian skincare and ethnic food have become popularized in modern culture, I still remember feeling embarrassed to pack homemade food for my school lunches and getting made fun of for my “chinky” eyes.

I’m almost positive that most, if not all, Asian Americans can identify with this experience. Yet, too often, the Asian American experience is streamlined into a single narrative—one that places East Asians at the forefront. Meanwhile, the voices and stories of South Asians, Southeast Asians and Pacific Islanders are frequently overlooked or left out entirely. This hierarchy of visibility isn’t on accident: It mirrors broader systems of the colonialist mindset, where proximity to whiteness—through lighter skin or more “marketable” cultures—often determines whose stories are placed in the spotlight. 

As an East Asian, and specifically as a Korean, I’ve seen this firsthand over the years as K-pop has become popular. Paler skin has always been the beauty standard in Korea, as have other Eurocentric features such as big eyes, small lips and sharp noses. From their historical origins, , but they have now been weaponized as a way to assert dominance over other cultures and ethnicities in the Asian continent. 

This can be seen in the way colorism dominates media representation and the Asian beauty standard. Having paler skin is seen as superior, fueling procedures like skin bleaching and excessively white-washed makeup, and implicit enforcement of caste systems further impose these Western beauty ideals to make people feel inferior. Comments like “She’s so pretty, if only she was lighter” aren’t uncommon in Asia, and the sun is actually a huge threat that necessitates the use of umbrellas even when it’s not raining, copious amounts of sunscreen and cutout clothing that only lets the eyes and nose peek through.

Unity—togetherness—does not mean we are all the same. If anything, it implies that effort needs to be made to bring people closer to each other. Our differences are to be celebrated, not picked at to further divide us. But celebration is not enough. Accountability from within is necessary to ensure all of our voices are heard and focus our efforts against our common enemies, not against each other. 

As we celebrate AAPI this month at Andrews, let’s not forget the real enemy and stand together against the imperialistic mindset that has poisoned and pitted our cultures against each other for centuries.