You'd be surprised by how many people I've met who have told me that I'm not the typical "American American" they expected. Did you expect us all to be white with blonde hair and blue eyes? Is your idea of the typical man from the United States someone like Zac Efron? I hate to break it to you, but sadly, most of our guys in the United States don't look like Zac Efron. I am also equally upset by this fact.
It's come to my attention that when I talk to some people who have never visited the United States, they are surprised that I don't look like the Americans in the movies; the really tall, blonde ones, with a sharp nose and big eyes. I am just an average height, brunette, flat nosed Asian American.
I've shown pictures of my family members to some of my friends here in Spain. My families from both my parents' sides have a lot of mixed genes. We've got Vietnamese, Koreans, Jewish, Chinese, Afghan and the "White" that everyone expects Americans to be. When some of my friends see a few of my cousins, their first reaction is "They don't look like you". Their next comment usually is, "Their eyes aren't like yours and their nose isn't as flat." This is the part where I explain that some of my second cousins are mixed and then show pictures of their parents.
After going into a pretty lengthy explanation about all of the different types of ethnicities I have in my extended family, some friends will say something along the lines of, "Oh, so your cousin is American American." What are they referring to when they say "American American"? I suppose they believe that a REAL American is a Caucasian person.
Here's a quick lesson about the United States. We are a nation composed entirely of immigrants from all parts of the world. Granted, maybe the majority of people from the United States are "white", but there is not a specific appearance of a North American. We all have different features, different stories and different cultures. Calling a white person "American American" to describe them as the real American is a little ignorant on your end.
I hear this all the time in Spain, when people look at my white friends and call them the "American Americans" and to me as Vietnamese (most likely they'd say Chinese). I hate to break it to y'all, but I am an "American American", born and raised in the good ole' states!
It doesn't offend me that others don't consider me to be the typical North American. It DOES bother me, however, that some will consider a White American from the United States the real American. It's gotten me to think of myself as not a real American anymore, and a subset of an American.
My thoughts have been very influenced about what I identify myself as. When people ask me where I'm from, I usually respond with the United States. I then internally brace myself for the following question: "No, where are you really from?" This requires me to explain that I am really from the United States, but my parents are from Vietnam. This usually makes more sense to the questioner who is now satisfied that they figured out this puzzle that is my nationality, ethnicity and race.
My experiences as an Asian American in Spain have been very interesting. I know I am Asian and know that my features are prominently Asian features, but never have I been made to feel so aware of my ethnicity, as I am here, in Spain.
A real North American or "American American" is not based on someone's physical appearance. We are not all white! Actually, we're from all over the world, made of different ethnicities and cultures that mix together to make the "American American" person. So please, stop telling me that a white person from the United States is "American American" or your idea of the real American. It's insulting because you're talking to a REAL AMERICAN!
I have more rants, funny stories, cultural confusions and life in general as an expat in Spain on my blog TheQuirkyPineapple.com. Life as an Asian American in a xenophobic country has its ups and downs, but overall I'm glad I'm here to show others that the United States is a salad bowl of ethnicities.
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You can read more about my journey on my blog:
www.TheQuirkyPineapple.com
And you can follow my Instagram for more daily pictures of Spain and life as an expat:
www.instagram.com/tqpineapple
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Follow Cassandra Le on Twitter: www.twitter.com/thequirkypapple
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